


The Heart's Treasure Chest

by ElsaSkywalker



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, I'm a sucker for a happy ending - Freeform, Inspired by Varian and the Seven Kingdoms - Kaitlyn Ritter & Anna Lencioni, M/M, More angst, Possession, Post-Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Post-Varian & the 7K, Ruddiger is a pal, Varigo - Freeform, don't worry there's a happy ending I swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25119961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElsaSkywalker/pseuds/ElsaSkywalker
Summary: Eleven months have passed since the end of Varian and Hugo's journey across the Seven Kingdoms, and they've been living in Corona ever since. They also started dating after confessing their love to each other in the Eternal Library, and life couldn't be better.Varian is working hard on a new project for the kingdom of Corona and ends up staying in the lab later than usual. When he is found unconscious at his desk the next morning, it's up to Hugo and the rest of Varian's family to figure out what happened and wake him up.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Hugo/Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms)
Comments: 49
Kudos: 207





	1. Chapter 1

“Goggles, we’ve been at this for _hours._ Can’t we call it a night?” Hugo whined. His feet were propped up on the side of Varian’s desk, so as to not get in the way of the workspace. Tempted as Hugo was to just shove all the papers and books onto the floor, he knew better than to get in the way of his boyfriend’s work. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t complain about it.

“Hugo, I’ve told you that you can leave. I just have a few more formulas to calculate.” Varian continued scribbling along, not even bothering to look up.

“You’ve been saying that all night. Look, even the raccoon is already asleep.” Hugo pointed to where Ruddiger was snoozing away by the door.

Not breaking his concentration, Varian said, “Ruddiger isn’t working on this project. He doesn’t have a deadline. Besides, he’s an animal. He can sleep whenever he wants.”

“Var, we can finish tomorrow. I’m _tired._ ”

This time Varian did look up from his work. Though with the glare he shot him, Hugo suddenly wished he hadn’t said anything. “Why don’t you go on without me? It’s not like you’re helping anyway.”

Hugo lowered his feet and sat up. “I’m just worried about you. You’ve been working non-stop for the past few days. You need some rest.”

Varian looked back down at his papers. “Hugo, I appreciate the concern. But I know my own limits. As soon as I finish these final three steps, I promise I’ll head to bed.”

Hugo stood up and let out a heavy sigh. “Alright, I guess that’s as good as I’m gonna get from you. I’m heading to my room. Don’t stay up too late.” He leaned down and kissed the top of Varian’s head. 

The young alchemist’s mouth quirked into a small smile, but he offered no response. His pen was already dancing across the page again. 

Sparing one last glance at his sleep-deprived boyfriend on his way out, Hugo left the lab.

* * *

Hugo groaned and turned over in his bed as light poured in through the windows. That was one problem he had with living in the palace of Corona. As the kingdom of light, the whole kingdom seemed to wake up along with the sunrise. Back in his home kingdom, it didn’t matter when you were awake or asleep, just as long as you did your work. The perks of living in a kingdom with electricity, Hugo supposed. Hopefully, that would remedied soon. After all, an electric light system for the palace was what Varian and him were working on.

Hugo rolled over, really wishing the darkness had lasted a little longer. Oh well. He should really check and see if Varian actually got any sleep last night anyway. Blinking himself awake, he got out of bed and began to get ready for the day. As he put his hair up, an idea struck. Hugo wasn’t really the lovey dovey type, but maybe this morning he could make an exception and do something sweet for his hard-working boyfriend. After all, who didn’t enjoy breakfast in bed? Maybe Varian would be so grateful that he’d allow them to take the day off of work.

Filled with determination, Hugo bounded down to the kitchen. He snuck some food off of the plates being prepared for their royal majesties, but they probably wouldn’t notice anyway. Then he headed back to the wing where his and Varian’s bedrooms were. He knocked on his boyfriend’s door, but there was no answer. Figuring he was still asleep, Hugo peeked inside only to see an empty bed. And unfortunately, it was a very much untouched-in-the-past-8-hours type of bed.

Frowning in disappointment, he headed down to the lab with the food still in hand. If Varian had fallen asleep in there again, or pulled an all-nighter, he would still need breakfast. Once Hugo entered the “Nerdy Science Room,” as Eugene had once so kindly put it, he was met with a familiar sight. Varian had fallen asleep on top of his notes, _again._

As Hugo stepped in, he felt a mass of fur brush against his leg. Looking down, he saw Ruddiger looking worriedly up at him. Could a raccoon even look worried? “Yeah, I know. He really needs to stop falling asleep at his desk.” Hugo moved forward, but Ruddiger stepped in his way, shaking his head as if Hugo wasn’t understanding him.

“Hey! Look, Fuzzball. I’m just bringing him breakfast. I’ll force him to sleep tonight, I promise.” Hugo nudged the raccoon aside with his foot. Ruddiger didn’t protest, but followed Hugo closely with concern.

Seriously, this was becoming an issue. Hugo shook his head. Varian was going to give himself early back problems if he kept falling asleep at his desk like that. Setting the now slightly cold food aside, he approached his sleeping boyfriend. Though something seemed a little…off.

Maybe it was a combination of the sleep deprivation and lack of sunlight that Varian had seen in the past few days, but he looked really pale. Even his cute freckles had faded a little. Hugo vowed that he would take Varian out into the town today, even if he tried to put up a fight. They both needed a break. Maybe they could visit some of Varian’s friends, like Xavier or Lance and the kids. Out of curiosity, Hugo peered over the sleeping alchemist’s shoulder to see what work he had managed to complete before his body forced him to sleep.

Something was not right about the end of Varian’s notes. They seemed to just…stop. In the middle of writing the number eight. It almost looked like a letter “S”, but where the bottom would curve back up it instead turned into a streak across the page.

That was odd.

Scrunching his eyebrows in confusion, Hugo followed the line to where the page ended. The line of ink continued on the desk to where Varian’s limp hand rested. The pen had rolled off the edge onto the floor.

That was even more odd.

Had Varian really been so sleep-deprived that he completely passed out in the middle of writing? He couldn’t even finish drawing the number eight? A pit formed in Hugo’s stomach. There was something very not right about this.

He tapped his boyfriend on the shoulder, but there was no response. “Hairstripe? I brought you breakfast.”

No response.

“Come on. It’s time to wake up.” He shoved him a little.

Still no response.

“Varian? This isn’t funny. Wake up.” The sick feeling in Hugo’s stomach grew. He began to shake Varian’s limp form, but there was still no response.

“Varian, don’t joke with me like this! Wake up!” Hugo’s voice filled with desperation. “Come on, stop playing around! This isn’t funny!” He shook him harder, but Varian’s head just fell limply to the side.

Hugo’s heart was racing. This couldn’t be happening. Why wasn’t he waking up? He searched for any signs of injury, but there were none. He grabbed for one of Varian’s hands, but immediately dropped it. Why was it so cold?

He reached for his hand again, then traced up his arm. Every piece of skin he touched was freezing cold. Just when Hugo thought the pit in his stomach couldn’t drop anymore, it did. Eyes growing blurry, he held a hand under Varian’s nose and focused on his chest. After a few seconds, Hugo saw Varian’s chest deflate as he felt some warm air blow against his hand. It was a very light amount, but it was still there.

Hugo let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Varian was still breathing, at least. That was a good sign. But he still wasn’t conscious and felt as cold as death itself. He needed help, _fast_.

Hugo ran out of the lab and shouted at the first guard he found. “You! Help!”

Stan the Guard turned in confusion to see the young man waving at him frantically. “What’s the problem?”

“Please! Go find a physician! It’s Varian, something’s wrong!”

“Wait, something’s wrong with Varian?” Stan looked past Hugo down the hallway he had just come from to see if the royal engineer was there, but there was no sign of him.

“I don’t have time to explain! Just go get the royal physician and bring him to the lab as fast as possible!”

“Should I alert the princess and Captain Eugene as well?”

“I don’t care, just _get the physician_!”

Stan nodded affirmative and ran down the corridor. Hugo turned back to the lab, praying to whatever higher power there was that a miracle had happened in the minute he was gone. He reentered the room and…

No such luck. 

Varian was still cold as ice, pale as snow, and very limp. Ruddiger was pacing near his feet.

Hugo brought a chair next to Varian’s and sat down, taking the lifeless hand in his own. He began rubbing circles on the back of it with his thumb, repeating quietly, “Please, just wake up.”

There was still no sign of response from the alchemist. Ruddiger jumped into his lap, and Hugo didn’t even shove him off like he normally would. There were a few quiet, painful minutes before Hugo heard footsteps approaching the room. He turned around to see the royal physician, Nicholas, enter the lab. Hugo stood up, set the raccoon down, and moved aside to allow the older man to approach Varian.

Before Nicholas even had a chance to ask what had happened, Hugo started talking. “I just found him like this this morning. He won’t wake up, and his skin is ice cold, and his breathing is very slow, and…”

Nicholas held up a hand to silence him. “I’ll inspect and see what I can find. Just stand aside for a moment.”

Hugo closed his mouth and nodded affirmative. He reached down to pet Ruddiger, just to have something to do with his hands. However, his nerves could not be calmed. He didn’t know much about medical practice, but he knew that the confused hums that came from Nicholas were most likely not a good sign.

“You say you just found him like this?” Nicholas asked.

“Yeah, just a few minutes ago.”

“So you have no clue how long he’s been like this?”

“Not really. I was probably the last person to see him awake last night before I left to go to sleep. That was sometime around midnight.” Hugo cursed himself, internally. He knew he should’ve stayed with Varian last night.

The physician hummed again and continued his inspection. Hugo looked down and focused on Ruddiger to distract him from looking at Varian’s lifeless form. What could have happened to cause this? Hugo knew the symptoms of sleep deprivation, and this was much worse than that. Had someone snuck in here last night and done something to Varian? Had he been poisoned?

Hugo was pulled out of his thoughts by a small yelp from the physician.

“Oh my! This is most strange indeed.”

Hugo was at his side in a split second. “What is it, Doc?”

Nicholas was looking at one of Varian’s eyes. “Have his eyes always been grey?”

“What? No. His eyes are blue.”

The physician moved aside so Hugo could see what he was seeing as he held one eyelid open. Sure enough, where there should have been a piercing blue iris, there was just a grey ring. Not even a pretty shade of grey. It was as if the color had been completely drained from the iris.

Hugo let out a gasp.

Those were not Varian’s eyes.

Varian’s eyes were supposed to be the most gorgeous shade of blue, one that matched both the sky and the ocean simultaneously. They were supposed to be Hugo’s favorite color.

“How does someone’s eyes change colors overnight?” Hugo asked. This made no sense.

“I do not know, my boy. I’ve never seen anything quite like this.”

“You’re supposed to be the best physician in the land! How do you not know what this is?’

“I assure you; this must be something quite rare. I am well versed in all types of diseases, and no disease I know of drains the eyes of color.”

“But you must have heard of _something_ like this!” Hugo grabbed Nicholas by the shoulders.

“I assure you; I have never come across anything like this. Now please unhand me.”

Hugo did not comply, gripping him tighter. “Then you need to _find_ something like this, because my boyfriend seems to be all but dead!”

“Hugo!” A shout came from the doorway. Hugo felt himself be pulled off of the physician by a pair of strong arms.

Once he was a safe distance away from Nicholas, the arms let go of him. Hugo spun around and met the eyes of Eugene.

“You!” Hugo pointed at Eugene, then at Nicholas. “Get him out of here! This so-called ‘physician’ doesn’t know anything!”

“Hugo, calm down. I just got here, so I don’t even know what’s happening. But I’m sure Nicholas is doing his best.” Eugene gestured over to the physician, who nodded in thanks.

“I promise you; I have never seen the likes of this.”

Eugene eyed Hugo. “Look, I need you to take a breather, okay? I’m sure ol’ Nick here can figure _something_ out.”

Hugo counted to ten, clenched and unclenched his fists, then let out a sigh. He turned back to Nicholas. “Then what can we do?”

The physician glanced back down at Varian. “Well, I think we should certainly move him to a comfier position. Perhaps his bed?”

Eugene and Hugo both nodded in agreement. Being the stronger of the two, Eugene picked up and carried Varian while Hugo led them to his room. It surprised Eugene how lightweight the other half of Team Awesome was, even more so than usual. Something was certainly amiss. 

Once Varian was set down gently on his bed, Eugene nodded his head toward the door, asking Hugo to follow him. The blond hesitated for a second, glancing back at his boyfriend’s unconscious form.

“I still need to inspect a little more for possible signs of injury,” Nicholas said. “Go on outside. I promise nothing bad will happen to him.”

Hugo didn’t want to leave his boyfriend’s side, but he convinced himself that it would be fine for just a few minutes. Looking to Ruddiger, who had taken up residence at Varian’s feet, he gave a look that said, ‘you keep watch while I’m gone.’ The raccoon nodded an affirmative. Feeling satisfied that Varian was in good hands, Hugo followed Eugene outside the room.

They stepped into the hallway, and for a minute no one spoke. Finally, Eugene started. “Kid, what happened?”

“I don’t know,” Hugo began. “He stayed up really late last night working on finalizing his calculations and plans. I went to bed before he did. When I woke up this morning, I went to check his bedroom and saw he wasn’t there. Then I headed to the lab and saw him…like he is now.”

“So something must’ve happened while he was working?” Eugene asked.

“I guess,” Hugo looked toward the wall. “At first, I thought he just passed out from lack of sleep, but that’s clearly not it. I don’t know…his eyes are grey for some reason. It almost feels like it isn’t even Varian.”

There was a beat of silence before a shout came from down the hall. They both turned to see the princess running towards them. “Eugene! What happened? Where’s Varian? Stan said something was wrong!”

“Whoa, Sunshine,” Eugene held his hands up. “Slow down. Varian’s inside his room. We were just discussing what happened.”

“Oh, is he okay then?”

Hugo and Eugene shared a look. The younger man spoke up first, “Princess, I found Varian unconscious at his desk this morning. He won’t wake up.” Hugo did his best to keep his composure, but he could feel his walls failing. “We don’t know…what exactly happened. His eyes are this…deathly grey, and his skin is freezing to touch.”

Rapunzel’s hands moved to cover her mouth. “Oh no!”

Grimly nodding his head, Hugo didn’t trust himself to speak anymore. The initial shock of the morning’s events had worn off, and now he couldn’t get those cold grey eyes out of his head. Something was _very_ wrong with Varian. Something terrible had happened, and he hadn’t been there to protect him.

He backed up to the wall and slid down, dropping his head to his knees. He wouldn’t cry, not yet. And certainly not in front of Eugene. But he needed a moment to gather himself. He felt someone sit next to him, and a gentle hand rest on his back. “Hugo, we’ll figure this out. We may not know what happened yet, but we’ll get right to it. Varian is one of the strongest people I know. He’ll make it through.”

The princess’s words offered little comfort to Hugo. Her tone had sounded a little unsure of everything she was saying. But at least she was trying. “Thanks, Princess,” he mumbled.

“Uh, guys,” Eugene spoke up. “I hate to interrupt this moment, but I just thought of something.”

Rapunzel and Hugo both looked up at him. “What?” they said simultaneously.

“Someone has to tell Varian’s dad.”

* * *

Two hours later found seven people standing around Varian’s bed, almost like a war council. Nicholas, the physician, was there for medical advice. Hugo, Rapunzel, and Eugene were all there as Varian’s family. Xavier was there for his wisdom and wide range of knowledge. Both the King and Queen were present in case there was a palace security breach and possible danger to others. Those who were not present included Stan and Pete, God rest their souls, for they had been tasked with travelling to Old Corona to inform Quirin of Varian’s condition.

Eugene took it upon himself to initiate the meeting. “Alright, so we need to come up with a plan as to how to tackle this. This is something we haven’t seen before, and we don’t know exactly what happened. Hugo, will you explain what you found.”

Hugo took a deep breath and detailed the same story he had told many times that morning. How he left Varian last night and found him looking like death this morning.

Then Nicholas spoke, giving the physical diagnosis. He ended by stating pretty ominously, “The boy seems all but dead. If it wasn’t for the changed eyes and the shallow breath, that’s what I’d declare him.”

No one volunteered to speak after that. Xavier looked deep in thought, however, so Rapunzel called him out. “Xavier, do you have an idea as to what this could be?”

Xavier stroked his beard as he gathered his thoughts. “It’s not very specific, I’m afraid. But this looks to be the work of magic.”

There were murmurs around the room. “What kind of magic?” Rapunzel asked.

“Of that, I am not quite sure. I have never heard of any curse or spell like this. But eyes do not just change color overnight for no reason.”

King Frederick spoke next, “Do you think this was a deliberate attack?”

The older man thought for a second. “No, I do not believe so. At least, I cannot think of anyone who would wish to attack the boy. He has more than redeemed himself these past few years.”

“What about an attack on the palace? Could Varian have been the test run before some terrible magic is released on all of us?” Frederick pressed.

“I cannot be certain, though I highly doubt it. This is a most peculiar type of magic, and it most likely had more to do with Varian himself than the fact that he lives in the palace.”

“So how do we figure out what this is?” Hugo asked from his seat where he held Varian’s hand, growing irritated. He just wanted to see color and life in his boyfriend’s eyes again.

“Is there not a magic section in the Eternal Library?” Queen Arianna asked.

Rapunzel’s face lit up. “That’s a great idea, Mom! There _is_ a huge section on magic!”

They looked to Xavier, who nodded in agreement. “That would be the most likely place to find information. The sooner we can find out what kind of magic this is, the sooner we can try to find a cure for it.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Eugene said. “I’ll also tell the guards to stay on high alert in case this is a threat to the palace. We’ll search around for signs of a break in or anything suspicious.”

Satisfied with the conclusion they had come to, King Frederick excused himself to go deal with other matters. Queen Arianna followed soon after, wishing the group good luck on their research. 

Nicholas also left to make rounds and visit his regular patients. He assured Hugo that he would return that evening, but to contact him before then if anything changed.

Those who remained included Xavier, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Hugo. The princess seemed very optimistic, stating, “We should get to researching immediately! Xavier, are you going to be able to help us?”

“I’m afraid I must get back to my shop. I have some orders I must fill today. However, I do possess plenty of old tomes discussing magic in my own collection. I will be sure to consult those for any information.” With that, Xavier also excused himself and departed.

“Well, at least there’s the three of us still!” Rapunzel said cheerily. “We can all head to the library and start looking!”

Hugo looked over to Varian. Then looked back up at the princess. “Your Highness, I think I should stay here with Var. Just in case something happens, someone should be here.”

Rapunzel pondered this for a moment. Hugo knew that library better than her and Eugene, but she understood not wanting to leave Varian alone. “How about we take shifts? Eugene and I can search for a couple hours, then one of us can come switch with you! That way we all get a chance to help out and get to take breaks!”

Initially, Hugo wanted to reject the offer. He didn’t want to leave Varian alone for even a second. But the princess made a fair point. It would be most advantageous to work in shifts. “That sounds fair. You two go first, and I’ll stay for the time being. The magic section of the library is toward the left when you enter.”

“Great! See you soon! Maybe we’ll find something quickly and we won’t even have to change shifts at all!” Rapunzel offered optimistically.

If only that had been the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for checking out my new story! This fic is already complete, so no need to worry about me abandoning it or anything. There'll be 5 chapters total. I'll post an update about once a week, though the exact day may vary based on what I'm doing at the moment lol. I hope you like what I have in store!


	2. Chapter 2

One week later, and they had found nothing. Hugo was beginning to go insane reading so many useless pages of books. There was magic that changed eye color, there was magic that made people go unconscious, and there was magic that made people go pale. But nothing combined all three.

“Oh! Maybe this one!” Rapunzel’s voice rang across the library. “This spell can make somebody’s eyes change color and turns them into a vampire! Vampires have pale skin!”

Hugo didn’t even look up from his own book. “We already checked him for that yesterday. Varian has no pointed teeth and he’s still breathing. Vampires don’t need to breathe.”

“Oh, right,” Rapunzel said sheepishly as she added the book to their stack of failed research. The pile was growing dangerously tall, but you couldn’t tell that by looking at the bookshelves. It didn’t even look like they’d made a dent in the magic section. Such was the curse of using an “Eternal Library” instead of just a “Sometimes Library.”

They still had their work cut out for them, that was for sure. At this rate, they were all beginning to doubt that they would ever find anything. Quirin had joined in the shift change once he arrived, but even with another in their ranks they still found nothing.

Quirin’s arrival had been…difficult to say the least. He made the journey from Old Corona in record time and nearly gave Eugene a heart attack when he slammed the door open to Varian’s room. Once Eugene had explained the situation, Quirin had stormed to the Eternal Library and nearly killed Hugo on the spot. Luckily, Rapunzel had been there to mitigate the situation and defend Hugo.

Once Quirin had calmed down, and Hugo expressed his regret toward leaving Varian alone and swore that he would _never_ try to bring him any harm, they were able to share a small heart-to-heart. They were both just angered and worried about Varian’s situation. Though they loved him in different ways, they still shared a bond of caring for the young alchemist. The older man promised to help in their research and immediately dug in.

Currently, Quirin was with Varian while the other three were in the library. Hugo’s patience was wearing dangerously thin. He had been in the library from early that morning to now mid-afternoon without a break.

A week without Varian around was too much for Hugo, and he just couldn’t take it anymore. He honestly had no clue how he had survived before meeting the blue-eyed wonder.

After the twentieth book he had attempted that day ended up being useless, Hugo shoved all of the books off of the table and stormed out. Eugene dropped the book he was holding in surprise, and Rapunzel nearly fell off of her spot on a couch. They shared a look before both deciding it was probably best to just let him be. These past seven days had been really rough on Hugo. He was trying his hardest to maintain his signature suave composure around everyone, but they could both tell that it was beginning to fail. It would be good for him to get some time alone. 

* * *

Slamming the door shut behind him, Hugo collapsed face first on his bed. A muffled, frustrated scream rang through the room.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could do this. Hope had long since abandoned him. The past few days felt like years. Varian wasn’t getting any better, and they had yet to make any headway in their research. There was no spell or potion that could be found that would leave someone in the same state as Varian was in. It had to be something else. But what?

Hugo turned himself over on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He wondered if perhaps Varian had attempted to make an energy potion to keep himself awake while working but had gotten some ingredients mixed up. But if that was the case, then what sort of combination of chemicals would do such a thing? There were plenty of poisonous mixtures that could render someone pale and on their deathbed, but the changing eye color was another thing. Hugo felt like he had seen something similar to it before, but he could not put his finger on where.

“Oof!” Hugo grunted as a furry lump landed on his stomach. He lifted his head to see Varian’s pet looking right at him. “Ruddiger! Get off!”

The raccoon continued to stare blankly at him, refusing to move.

“Come on,” Hugo tried gently nudging him, but that only caused the animal to plop himself down on his stomach, effectively turning into an immoveable rock. And he was giving Hugo the saddest looking eyes.

“What do you want? Food? Water?”

Ruddiger shook his head.

“Then what is it? You know I don’t speak raccoon.” Hugo couldn’t believe he was actually trying to have a conversation with a woodland creature. What was he? Some sort of fairytale princess? It was demeaning.

He reluctantly had to admit, however, that he was starting to feel a connection to the raccoon.

It began that first night after Varian fell unconscious. Quirin, having just arrived, had wanted to spend the night in Varian’s room. Hugo decided he might as well try to get some sleep in his own bed. When he left the room, Ruddiger had followed him. He had tried to get the raccoon to go back into Varian’s room, but the animal instead marched across the hallway to Hugo’s own room. He guessed Ruddiger didn’t want to stay in the room with Varian’s lifeless form and Quirin, and he couldn’t blame him. After all, that was why he was planning on sleeping in his own room.

“Alright, you can stay in my room. But don’t interrupt my sleep, and don’t you dare use the floor or anything else in there as your bathroom. You hold it until morning or teach yourself how to use the actual toilet. Got it?” Hugo had warned.

Ruddiger had nodded his head. Or at least that’s what it looked like. It could’ve been a twitch too, but Hugo took it as a confirmation.

Since then, Ruddiger had taken up residence in Hugo’s bedroom. Hugo wouldn’t admit it, but he did appreciate the company. It made a world without Varian seem a little less lonely. Even if he couldn’t figure out what the raccoon was thinking most of the time.

Ruddiger made some sort of sad purring sound from Hugo’s stomach. It was hard to decipher his exact thought, but Hugo was beginning to be able to read the raccoon’s emotions pretty well.

“Oh,” Hugo said softly as he figured out what Ruddiger was trying to communicate. He dropped his head back onto his pillow. “Yeah, I miss him too.” 

Hugo reached a hand up to pet the raccoon, letting out a big sigh. “I don’t know what to do. We’re not making any progress at all.”

Ruddiger chirped inquisitively.

“I’m not sure what you’re suggesting, but we’ve probably already tried it.” Honestly, Hugo was beginning to realize he wasn’t so different from the raccoon. He didn’t understand what was going on at all. All he knew was that he loved Varian, but Varian wasn’t around. Every day he was growing more and more concerned about what the future would hold. Wondering if Varian ever would be cured. Would he ever be able to gaze into those beautiful blue eyes again?

Hugo reached under his glasses to wipe a few stray tears away. He’d never been the emotional type, but then again, he’d also never been the type to want to settle down with one person until Varian.

The young alchemist had completely turned his world upside-down. Everything he ever thought he knew was thrown out the window. Hugo had always believed that no person could be just pure _good_. That was one of the earliest lessons he had learned from Donella. Everyone has a selfish motivation, and no one was just good for the sake of being good. Yet Varian defied all of that. He was a literal ray of sunshine, one that Hugo didn’t realize he needed in his life. Now he didn’t know how to live without it.

For a brief moment, Hugo considered that Donella could’ve done this to Varian. She had been pretty disappointed when he had told her that he was going to stay in Corona and not go back with her. Hugo was the best “employee” (read: thief) that she had ever had in her gang. But after the whole Ulla fiasco, she recognized her mistakes and even helped him and Varian open the gates to the Eternal Library forever. Then she returned to her own kingdom, and that was the end of that.

Donella knew now that if she tried to hurt Varian, then Hugo would never forgive her. There wouldn’t be any advantage in attempting to kill Varian, since Hugo would never return to working for her if that were the case. Of course, there was the possibility that she might possess the only cure for the mysterious illness and would use that as leverage over Hugo. But once again, Hugo would never forgive her. And even if he did have to go back to work for her, it definitely wouldn’t end well.

So, no. Donella wasn’t really an option. She was too smart to try to harm Varian.

That brought Hugo back to square one.

He glanced over at his dresser, thinking about the small velvet box that was tucked underneath a pair of pants. The little box had been sitting there for a few weeks now. Hugo always liked to be prepared for things. He knew it was still too soon to ask Varian to accept the gift inside, but now he wondered if he would ever get the chance.

While he certainly wouldn’t do it the second Varian woke up, he knew this whole situation had definitely moved up the undetermined date for asking. This past week had truly shown him just how miserable life without Varian was. It was unbearable. If anything good came from all this, it would be the elimination of any doubts Hugo may have had. He knew now, with absolute certainty, that he wanted to spend every moment of the rest of his life with Varian. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the feeling of Ruddiger leaping off of his stomach. Hugo looked up to see the raccoon move towards the door and scratch it. This action, Hugo had recently learned, was his way of knocking.

Groaning, Hugo rolled off of his bed and opened the door. Ruddiger took two steps before looking back to see if Hugo was following. “What do you need me for?”

The raccoon looked toward Varian’s door and back up at Hugo. “Oh, you wanna visit Varian?”

Ruddiger nodded. Or twitched. Once again, Hugo wasn’t quite sure, but he rolled with it. 

“Okay, I’ll come with. We should let his dad get some rest anyway.” It was only early evening, but at this point everyone in their little research group would take sleep wherever they could get it. Pouring through the library was tiring, and the chair in Varian’s room was certainly not comfortable enough for a nap.

Hugo knocked on the door as he opened it to announce his arrival. As he entered, he heard Quirin’s voice cut off. Was he talking to somebody? Maybe Nicholas the physician had shown up early for the nightly check. However, there was no one else in the room besides Quirin next to Varian’s bed.

Then Hugo noticed the book in Quirin’s hands. Maybe he was one of those people who liked to read out loud. It took Hugo a moment to realize that Quirin was now staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. “Oh, I’m here to relieve you of Varian duty.”

Quirin set the book face down on the side table by Varian’s bed, so as to not lose the page. Then he looked back to Hugo. “Did you find anything today?”

Hugo grimaced. “I’m afraid not, sir.”

Letting out a sigh, Quirin stood up. “We must not give up hope yet. I will not lose him. If I can spend a year frozen in amber, then Varian will get through whatever this is.”

“I hope you’re right.” Hugo looked sadly towards Varian.

“I’m sure I am,” Quirin reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Hugo’s shoulder, causing the younger man to tense. “I may have never told you this, but I see the way you care for Varian. He has never been happier than when he’s with you. So…thank you.”

“Oh, uh,” Hugo relaxed a little and felt heat rising in his cheeks. “It’s no problem. Varian’s saved me in more ways than one. It’s only fair I try to do the same.”

“Varian’s never really had any friends before. I used to worry that he’d never find anyone to settle down with and that he’d live with me forever.” Quirin gave Hugo a reassuring smile. “Now I know he’ll be just fine.”

“Sir?”

“What I’m trying to say is, I’m sorry for nearly attacking you the other day. As much as I may act disapproving of you and not agree with your past, I know that people change. I certainly did. So did Varian.”

Hugo was in shock. He didn’t know how to respond. Quirin had never said anything approving of him whatsoever. Now he was apologizing and saying that he was actually…good for Varian? Was the world ending?

Sensing that he had made the conversation a little awkward, Quirin took that as his cue to leave. He didn’t intend to make his son’s boyfriend uncomfortable (okay, maybe a little), but he did want to apologize. Hugo truly was the best thing that had ever happened to Varian, and Quirin wanted him to know how grateful he was.

“I’ll take that as my leave.”

Hugo realized he was being rude by not responding and managed to get out, “Uh, thanks for…saying all those things.” 

Quirin gave a small smile. He moved to the doorway but paused before leaving. He turned back around. “By the way, that book I was reading was one of Varian’s favorite fairytale collections. In case you need something to do, it was nice to pretend I was reading a bedtime story to him instead of just talking to myself.”

“Oh, um, sure. I’ll check it out.”

The door closed shut, and Hugo was left to himself.

Well, that was the weirdest conversation he’d ever had.

Did Quirin somehow know of his intentions towards Varian? Did he know of the small box that was hidden in Hugo’s dresser? 

Shaking his head clear, Hugo decided that was something to worry about later. He was curious to see what book Quirin had been reading.

Picking it up, Hugo saw that it was titled “Fairytale Classics.” _How original_ , he thought. It was cute to think of an excited young Varian eagerly waiting to hear the nightly adventures of dashing knights and beautiful princesses. He flipped over the book to see which story Quirin had been reading.

It was _Sleeping Beauty._

Hugo shrugged his shoulders and looked to see where Quirin had left off. The princess had just pricked her finger on the spinning wheel and was now trapped in a sleeping death.

How ironic.

“Alright, Goggles. This seems a little on the nose, but whatever. Better than sitting here in silence.” Hugo began to read aloud. Ruddiger jumped on the bed and curled up next to Varian. Apparently, raccoons like bedtime stories too.

“…The Prince rushed up the stairs to the Princess’s bedroom after having slain the dragon. Upon seeing her lying there, the Prince slowed his pace. The Princess’s skin was pale and cold, but she was still the most magnificent sight the Prince had ever laid his eyes upon...” Hugo’s eyes widened as he reread that last line. Her skin was pale and cold. He glanced over at Varian and then reread it a third time.

An idea forming in his head, Hugo continued to read. “The Prince hoped with all of his being that the Fairies had told him the correct cure to the curse. He approached the Princess slowly, stopping near the side of the bed. Brushing a piece of her hair aside to clearly see her beautiful face, he thought about how much he loved this woman. Then he leaned down and gently pressed his lips against hers.”

Hugo didn’t dare stop now, as all the pieces seemed to click into place. “The Princess awoke with a gasp, color and warmth returning to her skin. ‘You did it,’ she smiled at the Prince with all the adoration in the world. ‘You saved me with True Love’s Kiss!’”

Slamming the book shut, Hugo looked over at Varian’s unconscious form. This could be it. The answer to everything. Varian had been cursed, and the only way to cure it was True Love’s Kiss!

Maybe this was why Quirin had said all those nice things. He figured it out while reading the story, and knew Hugo was the only one that could save Varian. Then he purposefully left the book open on this specific page so that Hugo would figure it out himself.

It all seemed very cliché, but at this point it made more sense than any other theory.

Hugo stood up and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing, he thought. He leaned down, gently cupping the back of Varian’s head. Then he softly pressed his lips against Varian’s. It certainly wasn’t their best kiss, but Hugo wasn’t concerned about that.

For a moment, nothing.

Then…still nothing.

Ruddiger purred sadly from where he was next to Varian.

Hugo felt like purring sadly too. Was he not Varian’s true love? Not that Hugo believed in anything like that, but if it _were_ a real thing, he would’ve thought him and Varian would be it. Devastated, Hugo collapsed back in the chair, and the dam finally broke.

Did Varian not love him? Or did he not love Varian enough? Was this even something that could be cured with “True Love?” Was this even a curse? Hugo still didn’t know anything.

He had thought he finally figured it out, but he hadn’t. He was just jumping to desperate conclusions, grasping for some sort of answer. Nothing made any sense.

Hugo sobbed openly. He just wanted Varian back. He wanted the ‘good morning’ kisses as they met each other for breakfast. He wanted Varian’s eyes lighting up whenever he figured out the answer to some complicated problem. He wanted Varian’s laughter echoing through the halls as Hugo made some snarky joke about Eugene. He wanted Varian’s bashful smile that always appeared whenever Hugo gave him a compliment.

He wanted Varian.

Hugo thought back to the first time that he legitimately thought he would lose Varian for good. It wasn’t that time when he found Varian, Nuru, and Yong fighting for their lives against the Hydra beast protecting the Water Totem. Nor was it the time that Yong and Varian were kidnapped while trying to gather some firewood for the camp. It wasn’t even the time when Varian took on three of Donella’s gang all by himself during their run-in trying to get the Industrial Totem.

No, he was thinking about the battle of the Eternal Library. The icy look in Varian’s eyes as he found out about Hugo’s betrayal. Even though Hugo had switched sides by that point, it was still a deep betrayal that couldn’t be undone. And how Varian had stormed into the library to shut himself off forever with his mom. Then his mom possessed him, and Hugo truly thought he would never see those gorgeous blue eyes again as they corrupted to a bright white from his mother’s soul.

Wait.

Varian’s eyes had turned white when he was possessed by Ulla.

Varian’s eyes had _changed color._

His chair clattered against the ground as Hugo stood abruptly. He looked at Ruddiger with wide eyes. “You stay here and keep watch!” Then he bolted out of the room.

* * *

After Hugo had stormed out of the library, neither Rapunzel nor Eugene knew what to say. This amount of worry and uncertainty was taking a toll on everyone. Varian had become a constant source of light around the palace, but now that was gone. Even some of the guards had been a little sadder.

There was a major lack of explosions and triumphant exclamations of “Aha!” ringing through the halls. Nobody’s hair was bizarrely changing color, and the kitchen cooks found themselves no longer mysteriously running out of supplies for hot cocoa. The Princess of Corona and her husband found themselves with an ever-growing hole in their hearts.

Rapunzel and Eugene both had come to look at Varian as a little brother. They had all grown extra close since the alchemist had moved into the palace after the whole Zhan Tiri event. That way he could have more space and actual funding for research. The year that he went on his journey across the Seven Kingdoms caused them both to miss him dearly, but they were happy that Varian had a chance to truly figure himself out.

Then he returned, and with a boyfriend in tow. Rapunzel had been ecstatic, whereas Eugene had been…less so. He knew Hugo from his thieving years. The punk had once teamed up with him for a job, pretending to be a poor kid just trying to find a way to survive. Eugene felt bad for him and let him join him for a job to rob some snobby rich person. At the last minute, Hugo sabotaged Eugene by taking all the stolen goods for himself and tipping off the authorities. Luckily, Eugene had been able to escape the city, but it was much more difficult than it should have been. And he also ended up with none of the profits.

It definitely took a while for Eugene to warm up to Hugo being around all the time, especially when the blond kept finding ways to prank and humiliate him. But Varian insisted that he was a good person, so Eugene decided to trust him. So far, besides a few embarrassing incidents where Eugene had woken up with pink hair, Hugo hadn’t done anything to break that trust.

The captain of the guard had seen the raw fear in Hugo’s eyes when he walked in to see the blond attacking Nicholas when the physician couldn’t provide answers to Varian’s condition. Now, he witnessed the emotional toll all of this was taking on Hugo and genuinely wished he could find a way to help him. Unfortunately, there really wasn’t a way to do that unless they figured out how to cure Varian.

There was no denying the love that Hugo and Varian shared for each other. Even Eugene had recognized it very early on, because it was a feeling he knew very well. That look that Varian got on his face while looking up at Hugo was the same look Eugene has been giving Rapunzel almost every day since meeting her.

Eugene could not imagine what state he’d be in if it was Rapunzel who was lifeless instead of Varian. He’d almost lost her multiple times in the past, and that was scary enough. But to go an entire week without knowing if she’d ever wake up? That would be a nightmare.

“Do you think he’s gonna be okay?” Rapunzel asked from her spot on the couch, interrupting Eugene’s thoughts.

“Hugo? Or Varian?”

“Both of them, I guess.” Rapunzel pulled her knees to her chest. “I’m just really worried.”

Eugene walked over and sat down beside her. He began rubbing circles on her back. “I’m not sure anymore, Sunshine. We don’t know anything about what’s wrong with Varian. And Hugo…”

“Is getting worse every day.” Rapunzel finished for him.

“Yeah,” agreed Eugene.

“I wonder how much more of this he can take. I know I’m really worried about Varian, but I can’t even imagine what it’s like for Hugo.” Leaning more into her husband, Rapunzel rested her head on his shoulder.

A moment of silence passed between the two. They had been working so hard for the past week to figure out ailed the Royal Engineer, but things were beginning to feel hopeless. Rapunzel missed her little brother.

“I just hope we figure this out soon.”

“Me too, Sunshine.”

“I really wanted to get to help plan their wedding.” Rapunzel sighed.

Eugene pulled away and looked at his wife strangely. “Their…what?”

“Oh come on, Eugene,” Rapunzel laughed and shoved him a little. “Don’t act like it’s not obvious.”

“…It’s not? Obvious? I have no clue what you’re talking about.” Eugene scrunched his eyebrows in further confusion.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes with a smile. “Have you not been paying attention at all? Hugo clearly wants to ask Varian to marry him soon.”

“H-How are you jumping to this conclusion?”

  
“Well, a few weeks ago I noticed Hugo studying our wedding rings when we had dinner him and Varian. And he not-so-casually asked how we ended up finally proposing to each other.”

“He was staring at our rings because he’s an ex-thief. We former criminals have good eyes for things that are valuable. And he only asked about our proposal because Varian joked about how many times we turned each other down! That doesn’t mean he plans to marry Varian.”

Rapunzel’s smile grew. “Of course it does! He wanted to get ideas for his own proposal.”

“I’m not following this logic, Princess.”

“Do you not think that Hugo loves Varian enough?

“No, I’m sure loves him enough. I just don’t think he’s the kind of guy that thinks about settling down and marrying someone.”

“Well, think again, Eugene,” Rapunzel straightened up with confidence. “A wedding is in the future, I’m sure of it.”

“Why are you so confident in this?”

“Well, there’s a bunch more super obvious reasons I could give you besides that dinner. But I have one piece of evidence that will definitely convince you.”

  
“Which is…?” Eugene gestured with his hand for her to continue.

Rapunzel’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “I saw Hugo buy a wedding ring.”

“You saw him…What?!”

“Yep! He thought he was being soooo sneaky, but nothing gets past this princess!” Rapunzel looked very proud of herself.

Eugene was in shock. “You…spied on Hugo? And saw him buy a ring?”

“Yes, I did! He never leaves the castle without Varian, so when I saw him heading towards town by himself one day, I immediately thought something was up and followed him!”

“That’s a little stalkerish, Sunshine, but I’ll let it slide.” Eugene shook his head in amazement. “Wow. I never would’ve thought _Hugo_ would be the one to propose.”

“Well, we do know Hugo is full of surprises!”

  
“That’s for sure,” Eugene scratched his goatee.

With a new determination, Rapunzel stood up and headed back to the bookshelf. “Come on, we still have lots more research to do. We gotta figure out how to cure Varian so we can see that wedding someday!”

Eugene chuckled and stood up as well. “Alright, back to work.”

They poured through a few more books with a new resolve, but the newfound eagerness faded quickly. It was disappointing to get back into the same old routine that they’d been doing every single day for past week.

Pick up a book of spells/potions.

Flip through it looking for side effects that included paleness, cold skin, and change in eye color.

Be disappointed when nothing is found with all those symptoms.

Put the book in the “already searched through” pile.

Repeat cycle.

Rapunzel became interested in a spell that turned people into zombies. Well, not exactly raised-from-the-dead zombies, but it made people act like zombies. She prayed this wasn’t what was wrong with Varian. She really didn’t want him to chase her through the halls, drooling over her brain.

BANG!

The doors to the library flew open and a blur of green rushed past her so fast she dropped her book. “Oh!” Rapunzel followed after the blur to see Hugo frantically searching from aisle to aisle for some topic. The curious thing was that he wasn’t looking in the magic section anymore.

“Hugo? Are you okay?”

Hugo must not have heard her because he just moved on to the next aisle after the books on that one didn’t satisfy him. Eugene popped up behind her. “What’s he looking for?”

Rapunzel shook her head. “I have no clue.”

They turned the corner to see Hugo already moving on to the next aisle over. He had a determined and desperate look in his eyes as he completely ignored the husband and wife couple.

Rapunzel looked up at Eugene. “Do you think he’s figured something out?”

Eugene shrugged. “Maybe. What section are we in anyway?”

They both looked to the books on the shelves. “ _Ghosts and Their Hosts_? _What to do if the Dead Comes Back to Haunt You_?” Rapunzel read a few of the titles out loud. “Why is he looking at books about ghosts?”

“I don’t know. Let’s follow him.”

They went after Hugo, who seemed to have finally found a book that interested him. He was flipping through the pages really fast, then finally stopped on one. The couple watched as Hugo’s eyes widened, and then his mouth morphed into a shape they hadn’t seen for days. He actually began to smile.

He looked up at them triumphantly. “This is it! I think I know what’s wrong with Varian!”

* * *

Rapunzel, Eugene, and Hugo sat huddled around the book titled _So You’ve Been Possessed?_ Hugo’s finger ran along the page as he read aloud the aftereffects of being possessed by a spirit.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Eugene held up a hand. “You’re saying Varian is possessed by a ghost?”

“ _No_ ,” Hugo sighed, not wanting to explain it again. “I said he _was_ possessed. His current state is a side effect of that.”

“What? Some random ghost came and possessed him while he was working and then left before anyone noticed?”

“No, he was possessed almost a year ago. The side effect is just hitting him now.”

“What?! Where did this happen?!”

Hugo nearly laughed at the irony of it all. It had all happened right here, in the Eternal Library. Varian had been so excited when he first found his mother was here. But the years had worn on her and driven her to insanity. She was desperately willing to do anything to get out of the library. Then she decided to possess her own son as a way to escape. She ripped Varian’s soul from his own body, taking control for a few minutes before Hugo and Varian were able to talk her down and convince her to let go. It was the most terrifying moment of Hugo’s life. 

In the aftermath, Varian had begged Hugo to not tell anyone about the possession part. He didn’t want anyone looking down on his mother’s legacy. She was still a good person, Varian insisted. And Hugo, unable to deny anything those blue eyes asked of him, agreed to it. Though he still harbored resentful feelings of his own against Ulla since she essentially wanted to doom her son for all eternity, he kept it inside. If Varian wanted her to be remembered well, he would oblige.

But now, that whole event was having major repercussions. It was affecting Varian almost a year later. Hugo was going to have to tell everyone the truth about what had transpired in the Eternal Library.

“It actually happened right here, in this very library.” Hugo started to tell. He paused for a moment as something occurred to him. “I think someone should grab Quirin. This is something you should all hear at once.”

Eugene straightened up but didn’t move quite yet. “So, you mean to tell me that Varian was _possessed_ here? And no one ever said anything?”

“Yeah,” Hugo kept looking down at the book, though he wasn’t reading anymore. “He didn’t want anyone to know what happened. But I think it’s the reason for his current condition. It’s only fair that you all know.”

Rapunzel, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet these past few minutes, patted Eugene on the back as she straightened up as well. “I’ll go get Quirin. Be back in a minute.”

With that, she moved to leave. She didn’t want to admit it, but hearing Hugo talk about Varian being possessed made her feel very uneasy. While it wasn’t quite possession, she knew what it felt like to lose control of your body, unable to do anything. It had happened whenever she used the Dark Incantation, which caused everything around her to decay and possibly die. Luckily, the Sundrop was gone from her so she didn’t have to worry about that ever happening again. But the memories, unfortunately, vividly remained with her.

Rapunzel shut the door to the library on her way out, leaving behind Hugo and Eugene.

The captain of the guard was still at a loss for words, wondering how the kid managed to get himself possessed. It was very concerning. If Varian was hiding something as big as this from them, what else could he be hiding? What other dangers had he encountered that he kept to himself?

Hugo continued to read from the book as they awaited Rapunzel’s return. So far, it hadn’t mentioned a cure. But it definitely listed all of Varian’s symptoms as side effects of being possessed by a spirit. There was no doubt in Hugo’s mind that this was exactly what ailed his boyfriend.

Rapunzel returned a few minutes later with a very tired looking Quirin. She must have woken him up from sleep. He had bags under his eyes and his clothes looked like they were thrown on very quickly.

“We’re back!” Rapunzel’s cheery demeanor had returned.

“What is all this about?” Quirin asked, looking directly at Hugo.

Hugo swallowed the lump in his throat. This was going to be a very difficult story to tell Varian’s father. But it had to be done if they were going to figure out how to help the young alchemist. “Well, I think I figured out what’s wrong with Varian.”

Quirin’s eyes widened as he seemed to awaken a little more. “Is it good news? Is it bad?”

Taking a deep breath, Hugo began. “It’s not really…either one. It’s good because we know what the problem is and can hopefully solve it. But it’s bad because…well, it’s actually a side effect of something that happened to Varian a while ago.”

Quirin’s eyebrow rose. “What exactly is it a side effect of, then?”

Hugo said nothing as he pointed to the open page in the book. The section title was “Possible Side Effects of Being Possessed.”

Looking down at the book, Quirin’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion before looking back up to meet Hugo’s eyes. “You’re saying my son was _possessed_? By what, a ghost?”

Hugo glanced away for a second, to the exact spot in the room where he, Varian, and Ulla had had their confrontation almost eleven months ago. He could see the memories so clearly in his head. The terrified look in Varian’s eyes as he realized what his mother was trying to do. The way the irises in his eyes transformed to a glowing white as his mother’s spirit took over his body. And the absolute desperation in both his and Hugo’s voices as they pleaded Ulla to not take her son’s life away like this.

Gathering his courage, Hugo met Quirin’s piercing gaze again. “Not quite by a ghost. More like, a spirit. But if I’m going to tell all of you what happened, I’m going to need no interruptions.” He glanced around to see everyone giving him their full attention. They nodded in confirmation that they would not interrupt. Hopefully they kept to that.

“Varian didn’t want anyone to know all of this, but it seems we have no choice now. It actually happened right here in this very room. The day that the portal to the Eternal Library was opened by Varian…” Hugo proceeded to tell Quirin, as well as Rapunzel and Eugene, about the events that had transpired here.

Before, they had simply told them that Hugo was planning on betraying Varian before changing his heart at the last second. Varian was able to enter the Eternal Library, where he found Ulla’s spirit. They shared a heartfelt moment before Ulla was finally able to be at peace and leave this world. Then Hugo was able to convince Donella to help them permanently open the library, as it is now.

This time, Hugo included the details they had conveniently skipped over. How Hugo’s betrayal stung Varian so badly that he tried to shut himself in the Eternal Library with his mother. Then how Varian slowly came to realize that Ulla had gone mad from being trapped there for nearly 18 years. As Hugo was finally able to enter the library, Ulla took control of Varian’s body, forcing his soul from it. Varian was still able to talk to her, however, and managed convince her to let go of this world and move on to the next.

In the end, Varian had been extremely exhausted from the whole ordeal. As soon as he had his body back and said goodbye to his mom, he had collapsed in Hugo’s arms.

Hugo neglected to mention that after that was also their first kiss, but it didn’t seem relevant.

The room was quiet for a few moments. At some point during the story, Rapunzel’s hand moved to cover her mouth in shock. Eugene just looked confused. And Quirin…well, he was staring at the wall blankly now.

Hugo knew it was a lot to take in. Especially for Quirin. Finding out that your wife tried to possess your son and doom him to an eternity in this library was not an easy thing to hear. Not to mention finding out that your wife has actually not been fully dead these past 18 years, and that her spirit was just trapped.

Eugene and Rapunzel didn’t dare speak up at this point. They had enough respect for Quirin to know that he should get the first words following such a shocking revelation.

The silence stretched from awkward to painful and almost reached excruciatingly unbearable before the older man finally spoke. “So, Varian’s condition is a side effect of Ulla…” He couldn’t quite finish the sentence, still not looking away from the wall.

“Yes.” Hugo confirmed softly.

Another few moments passed before Quirin finally turned to Hugo. “Thank you, for being there for him. I know that your intentions at first were less than amiable,” His gaze turned to a pointed look. “But you helped save my son’s life. And now you’re doing it again.”

“Of course. Varian means everything to me.” Hugo paused for a second, then gestured to the book that had been abandoned on the table as he looked at everyone in the room. “Now that you all know what happened, we can figure out how to help him.”

Picking up the book, Hugo pointed to a specific page. “It says here that becoming pale, cold, and drained of eye color are all symptoms of what’s called a ‘Possessive Relapse.’ This is apparently something that commonly happens to people after they’ve experienced a possession by a ghost or spirit.”

“So it can even happen almost a year later?” Rapunzel asked.

Hugo looked at the book for a second before responding, “I guess. It doesn’t really say how soon after being possessed this can take place.”

“Whoa, wait a second, Glasses. What exactly _is_ a ‘Possessive Relapse?” Eugene asked.

“Well, it says here that it happens when the soul is once again separated from the body, except this time there’s no other spirit to inhabit it. So, the body just fades until it’s reunited with its soul again.”

“How do we reunite it?” Rapunzel asked.

“I’d love to tell you, Your Highness.” Hugo looked toward the princess. “But that answer is written in another language that I can’t read.” He held it up so she could see for herself.

The final sentence that Rapunzel could read said, “If you know someone experiencing these symptoms, the following are the instructions on how to return their soul to their body.” Then, there was indeed more writing, but it didn’t look like any language Rapunzel had seen before in any of her history lessons. It looked more like scribbles than actual words. There were no letters, just simple symbols.

“I’ve never seen that language before,” Rapunzel rested her chin on her hand in thought. “It looks ancient. Not even the Demanitus Scroll’s writing looked like that.”

Quirin took the book out of Hugo’s hand to inspect it himself. They were right, this didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen before. Not even in his years as part of the Brotherhood. He silently shook his head as he handed the book back to Hugo.

“I guess we’ll have to try to figure out how to decipher it.” Hugo said. 

Eugene didn’t even bother to look at it. If Hugo, Rapunzel, and Quirin couldn’t decipher it, there was no way in the seven kingdoms that he would be able to. But he could at least contribute to the team’s spirit. “Alrighty then, let’s get to deciphering!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! An early update! Honestly I'm so excited about this fic that I'll probably be posting closer to every 3-4 days instead of once a week. 
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I really loved writing it!


	3. Chapter 3

Four hours later found the team delirious from lack of sleep and nowhere closer to figuring out what the strange scribbles meant. It was aggravating.

Hugo groaned and dropped his head to the table. “I wish Varian were here.”

“Me too,” Rapunzel agreed. “He was always good at deciphering strange languages.”

Turning his head to the side to look at Rapunzel, though still keeping his head on the table, Hugo smiled softly. “He loved a good puzzle. It was like a game to him to see how fast he could decipher a prophecy, or incantation, or anything like that.”

Hugo’s smile then faded into a frown. “Though I guess if he were here, we wouldn’t be needing to figure this out in the first place.”

A few beats of silence passed. No one knew what to say, and everyone was too tired to think of something more to say. That is, until Eugene spoke up. “Look, none of us are getting any more work done tonight. I’m tired and so are all of you. We won’t be able to think if we keep nodding off every two minutes.”

Rapunzel and Quirin nodded in agreement. Hugo, however, was making a sour face. “So what if we’re tired? We’re _so close_ to helping Varian now. We can’t just go to sleep!”

“But Hugo,” Rapunzel said softly. “We aren’t going to be able to help him if our brains can’t even think.”

“Speak for yourself,” Hugo said smugly as he pulled a few small vials out of his pocket. “Energy potions. They’ll keep you awake for the next 8 hours regardless of how little sleep you’ve gotten.”

“Hugo,” Rapunzel started cautiously. “How many of those have you taken in the past few days?”

Hugo shrugged. “Only like nineteen.”

The princess gasped. “Nineteen! Hugo, that isn’t healthy!”

“Eh,” Hugo waved his hand dismissively. “I do stuff like this all the time. Sure, maybe I’ve never actually taken this many in a row before, but I’m still alive!”

Eugene picked up one of the vials. “Have you been taking these ever since Varian fell unconscious?”

“Not really,” Hugo replied. “I did actually try to sleep the first and second nights. However, my sleep was plagued with nightmares, and I woke up at least once every hour. After that, I realized trying to sleep was pointless when I could be spending that time researching!”

Now that Hugo had admitted to taking those energy potions, Rapunzel was noticing a few things wrong with him. His eyes were kind of red, he was talking pretty fast, and his hands were shaking pretty badly. No, he was not in a healthy state at all.

“Son, I don’t think Varian would want you to be doing this to yourself.” Quirin added.

“Who cares what Varian would want?” Hugo snapped back. “He’s gone! And that’s exactly why I shouldn’t sleep. Why should I get to sleep peacefully in my comfy bed while he is practically lying on his _death_ bed?”

Hugo looked away from everyone who was now staring at him concernedly. “Look, I don’t mind if you all want to go to sleep. Be my guest. But I can’t quit when we’re so close.”

Rapunzel rested a hand on Hugo’s shoulder. “Hugo, you did something major today. You figured out what was wrong with Varian! And now we have the cure in front of us, we just have to figure out what it says. But the hardest part of this is done. Please, get some rest.”

Sighing, Hugo looked to the other two people in the room for backup. Instead, they were nodding in agreement to what Rapunzel had said. “Fine,” he said defeatedly. “I’ll try to sleep tonight.”

“Thank goodness!” Eugene exclaimed as he stood up quickly. “Because the second this pretty face hits the pillow, it’s gonna be lights out.”

Quirin stood as well. Before standing up herself, Rapunzel grabbed the potion vials sitting on their table. She put them in her purse and eyed Hugo. “I’m confiscating these until further notice. It’s not that I don’t trust you…It’s just that I don’t trust the way you’ve been handling your health.”

Hugo’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Sounds an awful lot like the same thing, just worded differently.”

Rapunzel pointed a finger at him. “You’ll get them back if you do as I say and get some sleep.” She then extended her hand as an offer to help him stand up. “Now come on, the sooner we get some rest, the sooner we can wake up and continue to work.”

Hugo sighed in resignation and took her hand. The four of them departed from the Eternal Library. On the way, Hugo volunteered to sleep on the floor of Varian’s room. He figured if he couldn’t sleep in his own room, maybe sleeping near Varian would help. Besides, someone needed to stay in the room with him just in case anything changed.

At first, Rapunzel wanted to object. But even she conceded that maybe Hugo would feel better if he could at least hear Varian’s breathing at night to assure him that his boyfriend was still alive.

They separated in the hallway, hoping that some slumber would bring them all some much needed rejuvenation for tomorrow.

* * *

Quirin waited until his door was shut before letting a few tears fall from his own eyes. He was never a man who showed much emotion at all. He always kept things bottled up because he didn’t ever want to burden anyone else. His feelings were his own problem, no one other than himself needed to deal with them.

Now that he was alone, he couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer.

Quirin staggered over to his bed. Sitting on the edge, he just stared at the wall as tears trickled down his face.

How could Ulla have done such a thing?

The Ulla he had known and fallen in love with would _never_ try to take her own son’s life. She was a bright, brilliant woman who cared so much about those around her. That was why he married her and left the Dark Kingdom. There was no one in all the Seven Kingdoms who compared to her.

Her old research partner, Donella, had come around to visit every once in a while after they settled down. She was always trying to convince Ulla to rejoin her on their quest for knowledge. Every time, Ulla would refuse, saying she had chosen to spend her life in Old Corona with Quirin.

The day that Ulla found out she was pregnant she nearly cried with relief. _Finally_ , she had thought. She had something that would always be more important than any tempting quest with Donella could be. And once Donella found out about Ulla’s pregnancy, she did leave them alone for a good amount of time. Varian was born, and it was the happiest day of both Quirin and Ulla’s lives.

The little baby boy was the best thing that ever happened to them. His blue streak of hair had baffled them both, but it was just one more thing that made him unique. Ulla had been so confident that her son was destined for great things. “The blue streak is there to mark his place in this world,” she had said. “People will always remember the brilliant Varian of Corona.”

Life was wonderful for the first few months. Sure, there were the normal struggles of first-time parents. Sleep eluded both of them for many nights, and learning how to calm a crying baby was more difficult than any of Ulla’s experiments had ever been.

But then, just eight months after Varian’s debut into the world, Donella came back. She brought an alchemy book as a present, which was years ahead of the baby’s reading level. Then she requested to speak with Ulla in private.

Ulla had obliged. Quirin can still remember the pit that formed in his stomach as she handed baby Varian over to him, saying, “Don’t worry, everything will be alright.” Varian grew restless in Quirin’s arms, and he knew instantly that his bad feelings about Donella’s return were going to prove to be correct.

When Ulla finally emerged from the kitchen where she and Donella had chatted for nearly two hours, Quirin knew something was wrong. Her face looked sad and regretful. Her eyes averted Quirin’s gaze as she spoke. “I have…I have to leave.”

“What?” Quirin asked.

Varian started crying.

“This quest…Donella thinks she figured out how to open the Eternal Library.”

“So what? She can get someone else to join her. Ulla, you can’t possibly think about leaving.”

Ulla finally met Quirin’s eyes. “Quirin, you know I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t feel like I had to. But you also know that this is my life’s work! I spent so much time trying to find that library, and now we finally have a chance! I can’t just pass that up.”

“But you chose to leave that life behind! We’ve made a new life here, and it’s _good._ Don’t throw that all away just because of whatever Donella said.”

“This isn’t just because of what Donella said! And besides, I’ll be back. It’s a quick journey around the Seven Kingdoms. I’ll be back within the year.”

“But what about Varian?” Quirin held up the crying baby. “You’re going to leave him behind? He’s barely eight months old! A trip around the Seven Kingdoms is _not_ quick.”

“As I said, I’ll be back within the year. And you’re a great father, Quirin. I know you can handle it.”

“Ulla…I don’t like this.”

“I promise, Quirin. I’ll return. This is something I need to do.”

“But can you miss a year of your son’s life?” Quirin held out the child in question.

Ulla took Varian from his father’s arms and rocked her baby back and forth. The crying subsided. “I don’t want to miss any part of Varian growing up, but I absolutely _cannot_ pass up this chance. At least if I go on this quest now instead of in a few years, he won’t remember it. I’ll be back for the times he will remember. I promise.”

The next morning, Ulla was packed up and ready to go. Quirin held Varian as Ulla turned around at the front door to say her final goodbye.

“Please,” Quirin begged one final time. “Don’t go. Don’t leave us.”

Ulla gave a soft smile and kissed Varian’s forehead. She then stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Quirin’s cheek. “I promise, I’ll be back. This is something I must do. And when I get back, we’ll have an even better life than before. I love you.”

Varian started crying again as Ulla picked up her bag. “We love you too,” Quirin replied softly.

With a wave goodbye, Ulla started down the road with Donella by her side.

That was the last time Quirin ever saw his wife.

Almost a year ago, when Varian had returned from completing Ulla’s mission, Quirin had been the most relieved he’d ever been in his life. His son had survived the journey that Ulla could not. But then, Varian told him that Ulla’s soul had been trapped in the Eternal Library for the past 18 years. Quirin cursed himself for not trying to find her, but in all honesty, there was no way he could have known. He eventually came to terms with it, happy that Ulla had been able to see the wonderful young man her son had become before she left this world.

But after today’s revelations _,_ Quirin didn’t know what to think. He knew Ulla was misguided and blinded by her desire for knowledge when she left him and Varian behind. But to go as far as to try to _possess her own son_? That was too hard to believe. Ulla loved Varian with her whole heart, even when she left him as a baby, Quirin did not doubt that.

Then how could she do such a thing? She literally _ripped_ Varian’s soul from his body. What kind of mother, no matter how crazy, could do that to her own son?

Quirin dropped his face into his hands. This news was devasting. And on top of the entire story, there was also the fact that Varian wanted to keep this hidden from him. Varian wanted to keep the whole ordeal all to himself because he didn’t want to ruin Quirin’s image of Ulla.

That was possibly the hardest part to process. Varian didn’t hold any resentment toward his mother even after being possessed by her. He had been able to forgive her and didn’t want her legacy tarnished. If Varian had it in his heart to love and forgive the woman who had nearly killed him, then why couldn’t Quirin?

Perhaps it was because Quirin cared more for Varian than his son cared for himself. After all, Varian was very reckless with his own health. He had no sense of self preservation. His life always came second to everyone he cared about.

Whereas to Quirin, Varian would always be first priority. That was why he had hidden the truth about his past with the Brotherhood and the black rocks from his curious son for so long. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a mistake that only caused his son more harm in the end, but it had come from a place of love. And now, Varian had achieved even greater things than Quirin could have ever dreamed. Quirin was so incredibly proud of him, and he knew Ulla would be too.

But he still couldn’t find it in himself to forgive her just yet. Bringing harm to their son was unthinkable, and not something Quirin could just push aside. Even if that was what Varian wanted. After all, by the tone Hugo used while telling the story, Quirin could tell that his son’s boyfriend had clearly not forgiven Ulla either.

And that was another issue unto itself. Hugo. Varian’s boyfriend. The boy that was dating his son.

It was still weird to think about sometimes.

Scratch that.

It was still weird to think about _all_ the time.

Their first meeting had been very awkward, to say the least. When Varian had introduced Hugo as his boyfriend, Quirin’s brain stopped functioning. He spaced out for an entire ten minutes, according to Varian.

It was only natural that in the beginning, Quirin would initially be very hesitant to accept Hugo. Especially when he learned of Hugo’s criminal past. But Varian had reminded him that he too had a criminal past. If Quirin could find it in him to give Varian a second chance, he should allow Hugo that same kindness. So Quirin did, and now even he had to admit that his son’s boyfriend wasn’t _all_ that bad. Though, it still definitely took a while to warm up to him.

Once Quirin got the chance to see how the pair interacted together, there was no denying the love and devotion they held for each other. That didn’t make it any less easy to accept that his son had gone on a crazy adventure for an entire year and came back with a boyfriend in tow. Quirin rarely got to see the couple after Varian’s homecoming. Varian and Hugo stayed behind in Corona proper to live in the palace, while Quirin returned to Old Corona. But he didn’t need to see his son every day to know how much Hugo meant to him.

Varian wrote letters almost once a week (sometimes he forgot if he was in the middle of a project, but he tried his best to set aside time to write them). Not a single letter since Varian’s return had gone without at least one mention of Hugo. Though it was difficult at first, Quirin slowly came to terms with the fact that his son and Hugo were a package deal now. He had to accept that, for the sake of his son’s future. Especially after the most recent letter he’d received from Varian…

Quirin shook his head to clear the thoughts away. _That_ letter was an entirely different type of stress that he could worry about later. For now, he just needed some sleep so that tomorrow they could figure out how to cure his son. Not even bothering to change his clothes, Quirin laid back and closed his eyes, welcoming the darkness that overcame him.

* * *

That following morning, everyone met inside Varian’s room. Hugo had actually managed to get a few hours of sleep, and he had to admit that Rapunzel was right. He felt much better than when he just relied on the energy potions. Though he still had no clue how to tackle deciphering a bunch of scribbles that didn’t resemble any sort of language whatsoever. He had asked Ruddiger if he had any ideas, but he was only met with the raccoon chirping unhelpfully from where he rested wrapped around his shoulders. Hugo felt like he was wearing a really thick scarf of raccoon fur.

The team threw out a bunch of ideas. They considered continuing to work in the library, but ultimately decided that they had all spent way too much time in there in the past week. Working somewhere else would be much more productive. The idea of working in Varian’s room was also thrown out, though someone should still be designated to keep watch after him. After all, the book had mentioned that his condition would worsen the longer that the body was separated from the soul. Hugo could see that now Varian’s skin had paled even more than before, and his skin was almost too cold to touch. Overall, Varian was now looking a lot more dead than alive, and his breathing had slowed even more. He needed an eye to be kept on him in case things went from worse to worst.

Finally, Eugene spoke up from where he was lounging on a chair. “What if we asked Xavier for help? He seems to know about stuff like this.”

Hugo considered it for a moment. It really wasn’t a bad idea. Xavier knew about a lot of ancient things. Maybe he could understand this ancient language. “For once, I have to confess that you have a good idea. Xavier could be useful.”

“I’ll stay behind to watch over Varian while you three go to Xavier then,” Quirin added.

Rapunzel clapped her hands excitedly. “Xavier is such a great idea, Eugene! I can’t believe none of us thought of that!”

“Yes, we’d all love to compliment his Royal Hair Gel-ness,” Hugo added sarcastically. “Now come on, let’s get going. I’ll grab the book from the library and meet you both at the front gates.”

Once Hugo had retrieved the book and rejoined Rapunzel and Eugene at the front of the palace, they headed to Xavier’s place together. Ruddiger finally jumped off of Hugo’s shoulders to walk alongside them.

The blacksmith was working in his shop, where the open wall invited the group in as he pounded a sword into shape. The trio watched for a moment before Xavier finished up and set it aside to cool. He took off his gloves and looked to the three young adults. He could tell that whatever they needed to talk about was urgent. “What do you three need? Did you find out what ails young Varian? I regret to inform you that none of my books contained any helpful information.”

“Sir,” Hugo started. “We believe we’ve found what’s wrong with Varian. But we need your help deciphering something to be able to cure him.”

“Luckily, I am ahead on orders so I can afford to take a small break.” He pulled off his gloves, setting them aside. He then gestured for them to move toward a table near the back of the shop.

Hugo flipped open the book to the “Possessive Relapse” page and set it in front of Xavier. “Here, this is what’s wrong with Varian. Everything is written in English, up until the instructions on how to cure it. That’s what we need your help with.”

Xavier hummed and picked up the book. His eyes scanned the page that detailed exactly what a Possessive Relapse was before looking over to the supposed instructions. The scribbles on the page looked like chicken scratches, with little lines and small shapes. It was unlike any sort of script Xavier had encountered. It looked more like meaningless scribbles than anything else.

Eugene was waiting near the entrance to the blacksmith’s shop. It was far too crowded with all of them trying to cram in the small workspace. He leaned against a smaller table where Xavier kept a book of orders. Unfortunately, he did not notice the wheels on the bottom of it.

Eugene fell over, causing the table to fly across the room. It crashed into a bucket of swords. Then that bucket fell over, spilling the contents out and skidding across the room. The loud noise caused Ruddiger to jump from where he was lying down next to the fireplace. Unfortunately, he scurried too close to the flames, setting the raccoon’s tail ablaze. Now in a full panic, Ruddiger ran circles around the shop, catching the wooden table that Xavier, Rapunzel, and Hugo were gathered around on fire. They all jumped back in shock.

Xavier quickly grabbed a nearby bucket of water and doused the poor animal. Rapunzel picked him up and started petting the raccoon soothingly. Hugo dug around in his pockets in a panicked frenzy, trying to feel for his emergency fire extinguishing formula (after traveling the road with Yong, he always kept one vial of it handy). Once his fingers closed around the small vial, he threw it down onto the blazing table. The flames extinguished, leaving behind a charred table and…the now heavily damaged book.

Hugo’s eyes widened as he saw the remnants of the book. “No, no, no!” He exclaimed as he scooped it up. Most of the pages were in complete ruin. Some pages were now completely reduced to ash, while others had been blackened beyond legibility.

“No,” Hugo cried. “This was our only chance to help Varian.” He felt tears welling up in his eyes. “I can’t lose him.”

Ruddiger jumped out of Rapunzel’s arms and onto Hugo’s shoulder. He purred and pointed at the book, which Hugo took to mean that he was also devastated at what had happened.

“Wait, I think Ruddiger sees something!” Rapunzel said, grabbing the book from Hugo.

She flipped it open as best as she could. Inside, there were still a few pages intact. One of them being the page with the instructions for curing Possessive Relapse. And the instructions were now completely legible.

“Hugo, look!” She pointed to the page.

Wiping at his eyes, Hugo took the book and gasped as his vision focused. The instructions were now clear as day! “It must’ve been written with some kind of invisible ink!”

“And the scribbles were just different, incomplete parts of letters,” Xavier said, looking at the page. “When heated up, the invisible ink filled in the missing spaces.”

Eugene stood up from where he had fallen over. His shoulder ached something awful. “Thanks for asking, I’m fine.”

“Eugene, not now!” Rapunzel admonished.

“Okay, but can we at least go outside to read this? This smoke does not work well for my hair,” Eugene said, coughing a little bit.

The group moved outside as the workshop aired out, but Hugo could barely contain his excitement. This was it! They were finally going to be able to save Varian! He couldn’t wait to see his boyfriend alive and well again.

Once outside, Hugo began to read aloud from the book. Ruddiger jumped up and perched on his head so he could read along. At this point, Hugo didn’t care enough to tell him to get off. 

“ _The soul that has been cleaved,_

_The body laid to rest,_

_Something must be retrieved,_

_From the heart’s treasure chest,_

_Find the soul’s grounding piece,_

_Tying it to the earth,_

_Lest the body decease,_

_The soul lost without worth,_

_An invitation one must extend,_

_To reallow soul and flesh to blend,_

_‘I call the spirit back to this land,_

_Rejoin the body to once more stand.’_ ”

A moment of silence passed around the group before Eugene spoke up. “What on earth does any of that mean?”

“It means,” Xavier answered. “That Varian’s soul has been cleaved from his body, and we must reunite them.”

“What is meant by the word ‘cleaved’?” Rapunzel asked.

“Well, it means that the soul has been torn from it’s body. I’m assuming since this is called a Possessive Relapse, that young Varian has been possessed by a spirit before this, correct?” Xavier looked to Hugo for confirmation.

The blond nodded. “Yes, about eleven months ago.”

“Then the answer is quite simple. Think of the body and the soul as a single tapestry. They are tightly interwoven like each strand of string. But when someone is ripped from their own body, such as the case with Varian, that tapestry is torn. You can sew the torn pieces back together, but that extra stitch will always be there. And eventually, the new stitching will wear thin, causing the pieces to be torn once again.”

“But what causes the ‘stitching,’ as you call it, to wear thin again?” Hugo asked.

“Well, I suppose it could be many things. Stress, lack of sleep, a general disregard for his own health.”

“Pft,” Hugo scoffed. “Goggles definitely checks all of those boxes.”

“But how do we sew him back together again, so to speak?” Rapunzel chimed in.

“It says here,” Hugo pointed to the page. “ _Something must be retrieved,_

 _from the heart’s treasure chest, find the soul’s grounding piece, tying it to the earth._ So, I guess we have to find this object that is Varian’s ‘grounding piece.’ But I don’t really understand what that means.”

“I believe it implies that you must find the object that matters most to Varian above all else. It would be something that keeps him ‘grounded,’ so to speak.” Xavier explained.

“Oh, okay. I can probably find that in his lab or room. But what’s this part saying, _an invitation one must extend, to reallow soul and flesh to blend_?” Hugo questioned as he continued rereading through the instructions.

“This is common when dealing with the soul world,” Xavier stroked his bearded chin in thought. “It seems that Varian’s soul cannot contact our world once it has been separated from his body. He must be invited back to the land of the living, using the final two lines of the instructions as an incantation while holding his ‘grounding piece.’”

“That doesn’t sound too hard.” Eugene spoke up. “But did anyone else notice the lines that said _lest the body decease_? I don’t like the sound of that.”

Hugo looked at that line again. “Does it mean… his body could die?”

“Unfortunately, that sounds correct.” Xavier said with a frown. “If the body is separated from the soul for too long, it would die on its own. A soul is a driving life force. Without it, the body has no reason to continue to function.”

Hugo’s eye widened in fear. “You mean…if we don’t find this object that matters most to Varian soon…he could die?”

“I am afraid so.”

“How long does he have?” Hugo asked with urgency.

“I cannot say. But if he’s truly been like this for over a week...I would assume he does not have much longer left.”

Hugo shook his head. “No, we’ll do this. We’re so close. I know Varian better than anyone, we’ll be able to find whatever this object is.” He looked to Rapunzel and Eugene. “Come on, let’s get back. We have to start searching.”

Ruddiger hopped off of Hugo’s shoulders, running ahead to the palace. Hugo followed after him.

Rapunzel hung back for a minute and turned to Xavier. “Thank you so much for all your help. We really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem, Princess. I hope you are able to help young Varian. He is a bright mind that I would hate to see leave this world.”

“Me too.” She agreed. “Oh! And I’ll get you a new table for your shop. Sorry about that.” She shot a glare at her husband.

Eugene held his hands up. “It was an accident! And hey! If the table hadn’t caught fire, we might not have figured out what those instructions said.”

“Sure,” Rapunzel rolled her eyes with a small smile. “Whatever you say, Eugene. Come on, let’s go help Hugo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it looks like the gang is finally getting somewhere in their research! What could Varian's most treasured object be? Hmmmm....
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I can't believe we're over halfway there!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the endgame now! Enjoy!

Well, Varian had officially had the worst week of his life.

He had spent the entire week as a ghost/spirit/whatever you want to call it. It was miserable. He had been forced to watch his loved ones suffer while he just floated around, not able to speak or touch anything.

When he first realized what was happening a week ago, Varian had panicked. He exhausted every idea he had in an attempt to reconnect to his body while it rested on his desk. He tried sitting in the exact position his body was in to reconnect, but that failed. He tried to touch Ruddiger, who was sniffing his body worriedly, but that didn’t work either. He also tried talking to the raccoon, but it appeared that his voice couldn’t be heard.

When Hugo entered his lab the next morning, Varian frantically tried everything he could think of to contact him. He shouted at him, waved his arms in front of him, and even floated through him. Nothing seemed to work. Then, Varian’s heart broke as he heard Hugo desperately try to get him to wake up.

“I’m right here!” Varian tried to say. “Please! Hugo, I’m right here!”

But the blond still didn’t hear anything. Varian was forced to watch helplessly as Hugo descended into a panic.

Over the next few days, Varian could only observe as his boyfriend, father, and friends dug through the library to figure out what was wrong with him. It was aggravating knowing that this wasn’t a spell or magic potion, but he couldn’t tell them that. He had no choice but to sit back and watch as the only section of the library that his family searched through was the wrong one.

Varian knew immediately what was wrong with him because he had experienced this once before. This feeling of being separated from his own body had happened when his mother ripped his soul from his own body. She took control of him in an effort to free herself from the Eternal Library. At first, Varian couldn’t understand how she could do such a thing to her own son. Now, Varian was beginning to understand.

Existing as a spirit and being unable to touch anything or speak to anyone was enough to drive anyone to insanity. And he’d only been like this for one week. His mom had to suffer this for 18 _years_. One plus, however, was that Varian wasn’t confined to just the Eternal Library. He could still go anywhere he wanted.  
Naturally, Varian spent a lot of his time following Hugo around. It was painful to watch as his boyfriend downed his umpteenth energy potion to stay awake, but Varian couldn’t help but stick around. Even though he knew he couldn’t get through to Hugo, he still felt like he needed to watch over him.

On occasion, Varian would also go visit his father to see how he was doing. He knew after the most recent letter he’d sent him, that the man already had a lot of stress on his mind. Though, to be fair, Varian hadn’t known he was going to be separated from his body any time soon. If he had, he wouldn’t have sent such a stress-inducing letter last week.

His poor father hadn’t even had a chance to respond to it before finding out that his son was unresponsive and lifeless. One of Varian’s main concerns had been about how his father would greet Hugo upon his arrival to Corona. As suspected, his father stormed right over to Hugo and threatened him until Rapunzel convinced him that Varian’s state was not his boyfriend’s fault.

Then, Varian’s father had done something truly shocking. A few days after that whole incident, he had actually spoken kind words to Hugo. It happened one night when Hugo came to Varian’s room to take over the night shift. He walked in on Quirin reading out of an old fairytale book that Varian had loved as a kid. On his way out of the room, his father told Hugo that he appreciated him and was actually thankful for him.

If Varian’s ghost jaw could’ve dropped to the ground, it certainly would have. He was still in shock by the time he realized Hugo had picked up the book and continued to read from _Sleeping Beauty._ Varian had no choice but to watch the agonizing scene as his boyfriend, the love of his life, tried to cure him with True Love’s Kiss.

When Hugo started crying after the failed attempt, Varian couldn’t help but begin to cry either. He couldn’t actually form any real tears as a ghost, but that didn’t mean his emotions were any less real. He tried desperately to grab Hugo’s hand, to kiss him, to do _anything_ to show Hugo that he was still here. But nothing worked.

Then, Hugo got a sudden idea and rushed straight to the Eternal Library. When he saw that the blond was heading to the ghosts and spirits section, Varian cheered with relief. Finally! He knew his smart boyfriend would eventually figure it all out.

Varian then tried to decipher the instructions on how to fix him along with the whole team, but to no avail. The scribbles made no sense. Not that it would have mattered if he figured it out anyway. It’s not like he would’ve been able to tell them what to do or help them at all.

Later that night, Varian adamantly agreed with Rapunzel when she admonished Hugo for relying on so many energy potions to stay awake. He sighed with relief when Hugo finally gave in and succumbed to sleep. His boyfriend had a terrible habit of not taking care of himself when he was determined to accomplish something. That was a trait they both shared.

The next morning, Varian followed Eugene, Rapunzel, and Hugo into town to ask Xavier for help. Varian would be lying if he said he didn’t let out a scream when Ruddiger’s tail caught on fire. It was the one time that Varian was thankful nobody could hear him. He’d been really worried for his pet raccoon for a second before Xavier poured a water bucket on him. Ruddiger had gotten Varian through some really tough times in the past. For a long while, Ruddiger was the only friend he had.

It also warmed his heart to see how close the raccoon and his boyfriend had grown over this past week in his absence. That was one good thing to come out of all this. 

Once the fire had been put out, and the remnants of the book saved, they were finally able to read the instructions. Who would’ve thought of invisible ink that revealed itself in heat? Not Varian, that was for sure. If he had been there, he probably would have spent days trying to decode the scribbles to no avail.

After hearing Hugo read the instructions on how to reunite Varian’s soul with his body, Varian grew very confused and scared. His body was dying. He figured it was safe to assume that if his body died, either his soul would be trapped in this spirit world forever, or his soul would cease to exist along with the body. Neither sounded like a good option. So, they definitely needed to find this “grounding piece.”

As for what object mattered to him the most? Varian wasn’t sure what that could be. He certainly knew which _person_ mattered to him most, but it sounded like it had to be an actual object.

He observed throughout the day as his friends and family tried to figure what the object could be. With everything they picked up that seemed like it could have some importance to Varian, they would recite the incantation to see if anything happened. With every disappointed look, Varian felt his heart sinking. If he didn’t even know what this “grounding piece” was, how could anyone else expect to find it?

The instructions had said it must be found from his heart’s treasure chest, but he didn’t even know what that meant. If he analyzed it as straightforward as possible, it must mean something that his heart treasured. But what could that be? His old childhood blanket that he definitely didn’t keep under his pillow? His favorite alchemy book?

No. If it was a matter of the heart, it probably had something to do with Hugo. But what thing did he have that was closely tied to Hugo? Possibly a gift from his boyfriend?

It could be his new pair of goggles, but that wasn’t necessarily something that he treasured above all else. They were great, and he did appreciate the gift, but it’s not like that was the first thing he’d save if there was a fire.

_That_ object would be found in a drawer hidden underneath his pants where hopefully no one would ever find it and…oh.

That was probably it.

If only he hadn’t hidden such a small, yet so immensely important object in such an inconspicuous place. Nobody was going to look for his most treasured item in his pants drawer. Now Varian would have no choice but to sit back and watch as his body slowly decayed and died. At least he probably wouldn’t feel any of the physical pain.

Wonderful.

* * *

“This is hopeless!” Hugo exclaimed, throwing his hands up in defeat. “Goggles doesn’t care that much about any material object! He doesn’t love knick knacks and souvenirs! He loves theories and science, which isn’t something we can just grab and hold in our hands.”

“Don’t give up!” Rapunzel put down the quill she had been inspecting and came over to Hugo. She placed an arm around his shoulders. “We haven’t gone through everything yet! I’m sure we’ll find it soon!”

“I appreciate the enthusiasm, Princess. But I can’t think of anything we haven’t tried that would have any major importance to Varian.”

“Hmm,” Rapunzel pondered for a moment. “Is it possible that it’s something we don’t know about?”

“I guess,” Hugo looked down at the floor. “But Varian shares everything with me. He even told me about his childhood blanket he keeps under his pillow! I can’t imagine what the most important object to him could be, especially if it’s something I don’t even know about.”

“Maybe you just need something to boost your memory! It could be something you know about, but just can’t think of off the top of your head.”

“Maybe…” Hugo trailed off, not quite believing that there could be a chance. They had been searching all day. Hugo and Rapunzel were stationed in Varian’s room, while Eugene and Quirin searched around Varian’s lab.

No one had found anything so far. Not a single thing among any of Varian’s experiments or personal belongings had worked.

There was a knock at the door to Varian’s room as Eugene and Quirin entered. “It’s getting late,” Eugene said with a yawn. “I vote we quit for tonight and search some more tomorrow.”

“No! We can’t give up now!” Hugo pulled away from where Rapunzel rested a comforting hand on his back. “Not when we’re so close.”

Quirin stepped forward and placed a hand on Hugo’s shoulder. “Son, I think Eugene is right. We’ve all run dry on ideas for tonight. Let us all sleep on it, and maybe we will wake up tomorrow with more ideas.”

“But we’re so close!” Hugo turned to Rapunzel. “Right? You’re with me, aren’t you, Your Highness?”

“I’m sorry Hugo,” Rapunzel stepped over to stand beside Eugene and Quirin. “But I agree with them. Besides, weren’t you saying just a minute ago that this was hopeless? Maybe some sleep would help us start tomorrow with a better attitude.”

Hugo had to admit, the Princess had him cornered. She literally turned his own words against him. “Fine, you all can go ahead to sleep in your rooms. I have a couple more places in this room that I want to check, and then I’ll grab some shut eye in here.”

“You slept in here last night, are you sure you want to do that again?” Eugene asked. “One of us can stay here so you can sleep on your bed.”

“No, I definitely want to stay here. I slept better here last night than I have in my own room this past week.” Hugo asserted.

“Alright, kid. But let us know if you need anything.” Eugene linked arms with Rapunzel.  
“Goodnight, Hugo! We’ll figure this out tomorrow, I’m sure of it!” Rapunzel smiled. With that, the couple turned and left the room.

Hugo looked down at Varian’s still lifeless form on the bed. It was probably his imagination, but he really thought his boyfriend’s body was looking worse every second. He had no clue how the princess kept so upbeat during such a hopeless situation.

Hearing the door shut, Hugo looked up to see that Quirin had left too. Now, it was just Hugo, his almost dead boyfriend, and a raccoon in the room. What a lively bunch they were.

Hugo looked around, trying to see if there any place he or Rapunzel hadn’t looked.

The desk? Check.

Under Varian’s bed? Check.

In the bathroom? Check.

In the dresser drawers? Also check. When Rapunzel had opened them, she said there was nothing but clothes. And Hugo couldn’t think of any shirt that would be Varian’s most treasured item.

Where else could this thing be?

Hugo was struck with a silly idea, but at this point he was willing to try anything. “Uh, Varian?”

Of course, there was no response.

“I’m not sure how this whole soul thing works, but maybe you can hear me right now. If so, I’m asking for a sign.”

Still nothing.

“Maybe you aren’t even in here right now, and I’m just awkwardly talking to myself, but I figured it was worth a shot. So um, is there any way you could possibly give me a hint as to what thing matters most to you?”

More silence. Hugo was beginning to feel really awkward, but Ruddiger didn’t seem to be judging him. Ruddiger was just sniffing at the bottom drawer of Varian’s dresser.

“I figured you wouldn’t respond; I don’t even know if you’re here. But thanks for trying, as I’m sure you did.” Hugo took a deep breath. “I-I love you. And I miss you. A lot. Please, stay strong. I’m trying everything I can think of.”

Somehow, even though no response came, Hugo knew that Varian had heard every word. And that he was saying _I love you, too_.

“I have one final idea before I give up for tonight, if you’re up for it.”

Hugo imagined that Varian was shrugging his shoulders in a _why not_ type of way.

“Okay, so this object is supposed to be your ‘grounding piece,’ as in the thing that keeps your soul grounded here on earth.”

Hugo paused to allow Varian to respond with something like _Yeah, so what?_

“Well, maybe if it’s the one thing that’s keeping your soul tied to this world, then maybe it’s the one object you can touch? So, uh, if you have any idea of what this object might be, can you try to move it?”

There was silence as Hugo’s eyes darted around the room, looking for some kind of movement. After a few moments passed with no sign of anything out of place or any sounds being made, Hugo’s shoulders sagged.

“It’s okay. I just though it was worth a shot—”

_Thunk!_

Hugo’s eyes darted up to where the noise had come from. It had sounded from near Varian’s dresser. When he saw Ruddiger was just pawing at the bottom drawer, Hugo sighed.

“I knew it was too much to hope—”

_Thunk! Thunk!_

The bottom drawer of the dresser shook a few times. And it wasn’t due to Ruddiger’s paws. It was almost as though something inside was trying to escape.

Hugo slowly approached the dresser, crouching down so that he could open the drawer. This could be it. This could finally be what they’d been looking for. As Hugo grabbed the drawer’s handles, the thunking stopped.

As he opened the drawer and peered inside, his hopes deflated. There was nothing but Varian’s various pairs of pants and some socks—

Wait.

There, in the corner of the drawer, sat a small black box.

Somehow, Hugo knew this was what he’d been searching for.

He picked it up carefully, then moved to go sit in the chair by Varian’s bed.

Once seated, Hugo just stared speechlessly at the box that fit just perfectly in his palm. Ruddiger had stopped messing with the drawer and was now watching Hugo intently.

Holding it as though it might explode, he slowly placed one hand on top of the box’s lid. Just before trying to open it, he felt a familiar weight settle on top of the hand.

Though he couldn’t see what the weight was, he knew exactly who it belonged to.

“Varian,” Hugo breathed.

He could feel Varian’s hand on top of his. He could actually _feel_ Varian. Oh, how he had missed this touch.

Varian’s hand was preventing his own from opening the box, but it did so in such a way that said, _please, not yet. I want to show this to you in person._

Hugo suddenly knew, without a doubt, what was inside this box. And the thought made his eyes well up with tears, for he also a very similar box in his own dresser drawer. Great minds think alike, he supposed.

“Varian,” he sobbed. “I love you so much.”

He heard no response, but he felt the hand on top of his press a little harder with a sense of urgency. Hugo didn’t need to hear Varian’s voice to know he was saying, _I love you, too, silly. Now hurry up and save me._

Wasting no more time, Hugo recited the incantation. “ _I call the spirit back to this land,_ _Rejoin the body to once more stand.”_

Hugo felt the weight lifted off of his hand as the box began to glow brightly. It floated up into the air. Hugo glanced to the side and saw Varian’s body was floating up from his bed as well.

Hugo’s eyes widened and he scooted back a little. Varian’s body was beginning to glow along with the box. The light began to shine brighter and brighter, until there was big flash that forced Hugo to close his eyes as he was thrown backwards.

Groaning, Hugo attempted to sit himself up from where he now lay sprawled on the floor. It wasn’t too painful, but there were definitely a few spots he knew would hurt in the morning. Finally sitting up, his eyes refocused as the light dimmed. And in the middle of it, Hugo could just make out the standing silhouette of his favorite person in the whole world.

Getting to his feet quickly, Hugo shouted “Varian!” Just as the light completely faded to reveal his boyfriend’s wondrous freckled face.

“Hugo!” Varian’s eyes were the most gorgeous blue Hugo had ever seen. “You did it!”

In no time, Hugo crossed the space between them and enwrapped Varian in the tightest hug his arms could give. He savored this moment, nuzzling his face in Varian’s hair.

His skin was no longer pale and cold. In fact, he was so comfortingly warm that Hugo never wanted to let go.

Eventually, he pulled back just a little, loosening his arms. He wanted to gaze into those blue eyes that he had missed so much. He really could stare at them for the rest of eternity.

After a moment, he decided eternity could end a little early in favor of kissing his boyfriend.

And after everything they’d been through this week, this kiss was the most amazing feeling in the world. Oh, how Hugo had missed this.

True Love’s Kiss may not have been able to break the curse, but that was overrated anyway.

This kiss was real, and wonderful, and full of nothing but love.

Pausing so they could each catch their breath, Hugo rested his forehead on top of Varian’s. He could stay in this position forever. Opening his eyes a little, he looked down and was reminded of the box, which Varian was now holding.

Varian must have just been reminded of it too, because he gently removed himself from Hugo’s grasp and ran a hand through his hair. “This…uh, wasn’t exactly how I planned to do this. But I guess the fates didn’t want me to wait any longer so…”

“Wait,” Hugo held up a finger to silence Varian. “Hold that thought.” And with that, Hugo darted out of the room.

“Oh…okay?” Varian sat down on his bed, dumbfounded. He knew it was all very sudden, but did he really scare Hugo that much? Did Hugo even know what he was going to ask? Did Hugo not…want him? No. He had said to wait, so surely, he was coming back.

Varian shook his head, berating himself. Everything was going to be fine. And besides, even if Hugo _did_ say no, it wouldn’t necessarily mean an end to their relationship. After all, Eugene and Rapunzel rejected each other multiple times before finally saying yes.

It would be fine. No need to panic. They both loved each other deeply, that much was clear from this week.

Hugo came back with an arm hidden behind his back and a grin that stretched from ear to ear. “Okay,” He said, turning the chair next to the bed so that he faced Varian as he sat down. “Now you may continue that thought.”

Varian was a little shocked. What? Where had Hugo even gone? No matter, he supposed. He just had to get this done. “Oh, um…” He looked down to where he fiddled with the box in his hand. “This is not really how I wanted to do this…I had this big speech planned and it was gonna be all romantic and…” He trailed off and looked up at Hugo.

Hugo was looking back at him with the most devoted, loving eyes. He gave an encouraging smile with a nod, asking Varian to continue. Surely, he had figured out what this was about by now. If he was asking Varian to keep going, then that must be a good sign.

Filled with a new confidence, Varian continued. “You couldn’t see me, but I’ve been following you around all week as a ghost-spirit-whatever-you-wanna-call-it. And it hurt every time I saw you cry over my body, or take another energy drink because you refused to quit searching…even though you spent the majority of the time in the wrong section of the library.” He said with a chuckle. Hugo let out a small laugh too. “But even though I was around you all the time, I have to admit that not being able to talk to you or hug you or kiss you was agony.”

Ruddiger took that moment to hop up on the bed next to Varian. He snuggled up next to him and chirped.

“Yeah, I missed you too, buddy.” He smiled down at the raccoon before looking back up to Hugo. “Anyways, what I’m saying is, I don’t want to lose another moment with you. I-I want to spend every second of the rest of my life with you. So, will…” He paused and took a deep breath, then opened the small box to reveal a ring. “Hugo, will you marry me?”

Hugo’s smile grew wider, if that was even possible. His eyes were glistening. “Only if you answer one question for me.”

Varian was a little taken aback. “Um…okay?”

Hugo’s hand moved from behind his back to reveal his own little velvet box. “Will you marry me, Goggles?” He opened his box to reveal its own ring.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. They were both too stunned. Both of them had waited nervously for this moment for so long. And now it had finally happened.

“Yes!” They both exclaimed at the same moment.

Laughing from the dual proposal, they stood up and embraced each other once again. Many kisses were shared, and a few joyful tears were shed as well.

Shaking from excitement, they each slipped their respective rings onto each other’s finger. It was the happiest moment of either of their lives. They both knew that whatever the future held for them, they would face it all together.

“Wait,” Hugo leaned back out of the embrace as a thought occurred to him. “How are we gonna tell your dad?”

Varian looked to the ceiling in thought for a moment. Then he shrugged. “That’s a tomorrow problem. For now, I’m kind of tired.” He yawned to prove his point.

Hugo huffed a laugh. “I guess being separated from your body for over a week doesn’t count as catching up on sleep.”

“I guess not.” He flopped down on his bed, then patted the empty space next to him. “Sleep with me tonight? Then we can tell everyone tomorrow.”

Hugo didn’t really think it was a good idea to wait to tell everybody that Varian was okay. He knew that he would’ve wanted someone to wake him up in the middle of the night if Varian had awoken while he was sleeping. After all, that’s literally what he had told everyone to do those first two nights that he attempted sleep. “Are you sure we shouldn’t let someone know?” He asked hesitantly.

“It’s fine, Hugo.” He patted the bed again. “Come on.”

“Well, okay then.” Just as Hugo made to lie down, Ruddiger jumped into his spot. Apparently, he thought Varian was inviting _him_ to sleep in the empty space on the bed.

“Uh, Hairstripe? I think the raccoon believes that to be his spot on the bed.”

“Oh, Ruddiger.” Varian smiled and picked up the animal and placed him at the foot of the bed.

Hugo had to bend his legs a little to allow for the raccoon’s space, but he made it work. He rolled on his side to face Varian.

Varian was already facing him, with a soft smile on his face.

“I love you so much.” Hugo whispered, reaching out to brush aside Varian’s bangs.

“I love you, too.” Varian said back.

They both closed their eyes and allowed themselves to drift off into a much-needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! That was a lot to take in! I really hope y'all enjoyed it! 
> 
> I want to mention that many of you were very close with your guess of Hugo being Varian's most important object. I didn't end up going with that in the end, because it does have to be an actual object, not a living being. I figured that since Hugo is the most important thing to Varian, that an object that represents their love (such as an engagement ring) would be the 'grounding piece.'
> 
> Next chapter will be the final one! I'm so excited!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go!

Rapunzel and Eugene made their way down the hall. It was nearly time for the routine morning meetup in Varian’s room to decide what the plan of action would be for that day. They both figured it would be pretty similar to yesterday. Just look around Varian’s room and lab for any object that might have any sort of meaning to him, and then hold it up and recite the incantation to see if anything happened. The situation was growing desperate though, and if nothing worked today, they were probably going to have to come up with some other way to cure Varian. There were still lots of books about spiritual possessions in the Eternal Library that they hadn’t looked through, so maybe it wouldn’t be totally hopeless.

The door to Varian’s room was closed when they got there, which meant Quirin must not have woken up yet. He normally left the door open once he arrived.

Afraid Hugo might still be asleep, Rapunzel opened the door slowly so as to not wake him. She peeked in the room and gasped, closing the door quickly. She turned to her husband. “Oh my gosh!” She whisper-shouted excitedly.

“What?” Eugene asked. “Did something happen?”

“Something happened alright! Be quiet and see for yourself!” She opened the door slightly to allow Eugene to see.

Hugo and Varian were cuddled together on the bed. Hugo’s arm was wrapped around Varian’s no longer pale form, and they both had small smiles on their faces as they slept.

Eugene backed away and looked at Rapunzel. “Do you think Hugo found whatever we were looking for?”

Rapunzel pushed him aside to see for herself again. “I guess so! Varian looks more like himself again. And wait…” She squinted at something that glistened on Hugo’s hand from the morning sunlight and gasped.

She turned around to her husband. “Eugene, look! On Hugo’s hand!”

Sure enough, when he looked to the hand, there was a ring that had certainly not been there yesterday. “Sunshine, do you think…”

Rapunzel was now grinning from ear to ear. She nodded her head excitedly. “Oh my goodness, this is so exciting! I’m gonna get to help plan that wedding after all!”

The princess’s excited volume had risen to a point where she was no longer whispering. In Varian’s bedroom, Hugo began to stir to see what had woken him up. He squinted at the door with tired eyes. “What…” As his eyes focused, he saw the princess and her husband peeking through the door at him. Rapunzel had a blinding smile that was really way too eager for this early in the morning.

He made to get up, but was stopped by a weight on top of his arm. He looked down to see…oh yeah. Him and Varian had fallen asleep together last night.

After he had reunited Varian’s soul with his body.

After they had proposed to each other.

Remembering all this, Hugo couldn’t help the grin that rose up onto his face.

That’s right. He was going to marry the love of his life.

It took a second for Hugo to remember the reason he woke up in the first place. He looked back to the door that was still cracked open to see that Rapunzel and Eugene hadn’t moved.

Gently, so as to not wake up Varian, he removed his arm from underneath his boyfriend. He also stood up slowly, so he didn’t rock the bed. Redoing his ponytail so it looked a little more presentable, he walked outside the room. Ruddiger jumped off the bed and followed him. He shut the door carefully behind him before looking up and facing Rapunzel.

“Good morning!” She said excitedly.

“Uh, good morning, Your Highness.” Hugo replied, feeling a little awkward. He hadn’t really had time to come up with what to tell everyone in the morning.

“So…” She waved her hand in a circling gesture asking him to continue.

“Well, uh, Varian’s awake now. Or, I mean, he’s sleeping right now. But I uh, cured him.” He said.

“And…?”

“Um…He’s all good now?” Hugo said, confused as to what else Rapunzel wanted him to say.

“And…?”

“Um…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner?” He answered questioningly. The look she gave him showed that that wasn’t the answer she wanted. “I’m not sure what else you’re looking for, Princess.”

Eugene wasn’t one to beat around the bush, so he jumped into the conversation. “She wants to know about that new piece of jewelry on your hand, Glasses.”

“Oh.” Hugo looked at his hand sheepishly. Yeah, that was a pretty big development. “Well…”

“What’s going on out here?” Quirin’s voice echoed through the hall as he approached. He’d seen enough sick people in his lifetime to know that when a family was speaking quietly outside of a room, it normally wasn’t a good sign. “Is Varian alright?”

Just as Hugo was about to respond, the door behind him opened. Out stepped Varian, healthy and alive and well.

“What’s going on—oh, hey everyone.” Varian said, startled by the small crowd outside his room.

“Varian!” Rapunzel shouted, wrapping the young alchemist in a bone-crushing hug.

“Ah! Rapunzel! Can’t—breathe!” Varian patted the princess’s back to get her to let go

“Sorry!” She let go of him and stepped back. “I’m just so happy to see you looking so…alive!”

“Thanks, it’s good to see you too.” He grinned.

Eugene stepped up next. “Hey, kid. Glad you’re alright.” He ruffled Varian’s hair. “I wasn’t sure what I’d do without the other half of Team Awesome.”

“Heh, you can’t get rid of me that easy.” Varian said before turning to his dad.

“Son, it’s…it’s so good to see you.” Quirin said with a little bit of surprise in his voice. He placed his hands on Varian’s arms and squeezed, just to make sure he was real. “What…When did this happen?”

Varian smiled and shrugged. “Last night. Hugo saved me.” He turned to his boyfriend - or was it fiancé now? - and grabbed his hand. “He…well, he found the thing that mattered to me most.”

“And that was…?”

Smiling sheepishly, Varian held up both his and Hugo’s left hands to show off their rings.

Quirin’s eyes grew so wide, Hugo thought they were going to pop out of his head. Hugo glanced down the hallway to make sure it was clear in case he needed to make a quick escape. He had actually planned on asking for Quirin’s permission to marry Varian to avoid this exact type of surprise scenario. But things apparently didn’t work out that way, and now Hugo needed an escape plan in case things got ugly.

Rapunzel clapped her hands and cheered, “Yay! I’m so happy for you two!” She enveloped both of them in a massive hug. Neither alchemist could breathe until she finally let go. They both bent over to catch their breath and then looked back up to Quirin, who had not moved at all. Hugo wasn’t even sure he had blinked at all in the past couple minutes.

“Dad?” Varian let go of Hugo’s hand and waved in front of Quirin. “Are you okay?”

“What?” Quirin startled. “Oh.” He glanced at his son’s hand, then over to Hugo’s, then back to Varian’s. “I-uh, I’m happy for you two.”   
Varian’s whole face lit up like Rapunzel’s birthday lanterns. “Really?”

Quirin glanced to Hugo, who was currently fiddling with the ring on his finger nervously. If Quirin could still intimidate him that much, then his job as a father was done. He looked back to Varian. “I really am. You two are a good match.”

Varian squeezed him in the tightest hug. “Thanks, Dad! I love you so much!”

“I love you too, son.” Quirin hugged Varian back before letting him go.

There was a lull in the conversation. “So…what now?” Eugene asked.

“Well,” Varian said. “I, for one, wouldn’t mind a hot shower.”

* * *

A couple weeks later, Hugo and Varian found themselves loading their travel bags onto a couple of horses from the royal stables. They were going to be taking a much-needed relaxing trip to Old Corona.

After the whole Varian-being-separated-from-his-body event, he had taken a couple days of rest to get used to being back in his body again. And to also to catch up on the sleep he had missed from working on the electricity project. Apparently being unconscious for a week did not count as sleeping, according to Nicholas.

Once he was deemed healthy enough to resume normal activities, Varian completed his plans with Hugo’s help. They then presented them to the King and Queen, who were both happy to see Varian healthy again and approved the plans to begin installation.

Luckily, after Varian oversaw the first few major points of installation, he was able to leave the rest of the work to the installation crew. So, he and Hugo took a few days to go on dates around the city to relax. However, there was always more work to do. Someone was constantly asking Varian to make some potion, or make the hot water system hotter, or brew up his signature hot chocolate (that was mostly the castle guards). Due to all this, the couple agreed they needed to take a break away from the main city and just get to enjoy each other’s company as newly engaged fiancés.

Plus, there was the fact that Quirin wanted to get to know his future son-in-law better.

Hugo couldn’t wait.

“Varian! Hugo!” A chipper voice called from the entrance to the stables. Both boys turned around to see the Princess of Corona skipping toward them. “You weren’t really going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?”  
“You caught us, Princess.” Hugo held his hands up in mock defeat. “Our brilliant plan of escape has been foiled. Whatever will we do now?”

“Very funny, Hugo.” Rapunzel said, shaking her finger at him. “But I’m serious!”

“We were actually going to come find you after we finished packing up our stuff.” Varian said as he tightened the last strap on his horse. He then walked over and gave Rapunzel a hug. “I’ll miss you, big sister.”

“Awwww, I’ll miss you too, little brother!” Rapunzel squeezed him tightly.

“Do I get a hug, too?” Eugene’s voice sounded from the stable entrance.

“You do realize we’re only going away for two weeks, right? And we’re just going a few hours away to Old Corona? We’re not gonna be that far.” Hugo chimed in, casually leaning against a post in between horse stalls.

“I know,” Rapunzel said sadly as she let go of Varian. “But I’m still gonna miss having you two around.”

Eugene walked up and hugged Varian as well. “I won’t. Ever since you two got engaged you seem to think you’re the only two people in the world.”

“Wait, you mean we’re not?” Hugo said with feigned confusion, putting his arm around Varian’s shoulder. “That’s the first I’m hearing of this.”

Varian rolled his eyes with a fond smile at his fiancé’s antics. “Come on, Hugo. We should probably get going soon if we’re gonna make it to Dad’s house before dark.”

“Ah, yes. Nothing like going to your super intimidating future-father-in-law’s house for a relaxing vacation.”

Varian smacked Hugo’s chest lightly. “My Dad isn’t _that_ bad.” He then turned back to his horse to check that his bags were tightly secured.

“No, of course not, dear.” Hugo grinned at Varian before looking to Rapunzel and Eugene and mouthing, “Help me.”

Eugene just shook his head with a smirk. If he could survive his royal in-laws, then Hugo could survive Quirin. And if not, well, Eugene wouldn’t be _too_ devastated.

Hugo helped Varian up onto his horse, then climbed up onto his own. Ruddiger was riding in a bag strapped to Varian’s horse, and he popped his head out to chirp his own goodbye to the princess and the captain of the guard.

Rapunzel smiled back at the raccoon as Eugene wrapped an arm around her waist. They both waved as Hugo and Varian rode out of the stables and out to the city.

* * *

Hugo and Varian’s visit to Old Corona was uneventful, to say the least.

Or…mostly uneventful.

Save for the day that they discovered that Varian could still fall back into a Possessive Relapse if provoked. That day was…fun.

Varian and Hugo had been working out in the crops with Quirin. Or, well, Varian was helping his dad with the crops. Hugo was lounging under a tree in the shade, or as he called it, “supervising.” It had been a really hot day. They didn’t call Corona the “Kingdom of the Sun” for nothing.

Varian, as per usual, was not taking care of himself. He was determined to not take a water break until he finished planting this final row of seeds. As he moved down the row, he felt himself grow dizzy as sweat dripped from his brow. Just a few more to go, he thought. Then he can take a nice long break next to Hugo under the shaded tree.

He pushed on, despite the fact that his vision was now going in and out of focus. He felt himself grow dizzy. As he bent down dig a hole for the next seed, he felt his body fall forward. Just before hitting the ground, Varian’s soul was thrown backwards and he had no choice but to watch as his now limp form faceplanted in the dirt.

Hugo was by his body’s side within seconds. “Goggles? You okay?”  
When Varian’s form was unresponsive, he immediately placed a hand on his forehead. Quirin arrived just as Hugo said, “He’s ice cold. That doesn’t make any sense in this heat.”

Hugo shook Varian’s body a little. “Varian? Are you in there?”

Varian forgot that he was a ghost for a minute, and actually tried to reply back. “I’m right here, idiot. It’s another relapse.” But Hugo couldn’t hear him, of course.

Quirin picked up his son’s limp form. “Let’s get him inside. He must’ve collapsed from the heat.” He headed to the house, Hugo trailing behind.

Once inside, Quirin laid Varian’s body on the couch in the main living area. Hugo immediately got on his knees by Varian’s side. He noticed his boyfriend’s form was growing paler by the second. Gears turning in his head, he turned to Quirin. “I think this may be another Possessive Relapse. Let me check his eyes.”

Hugo lifted up one of Varian’s eyelids, and sure enough, there was only a dull grey.

No duh, Varian thought to himself as he watched Hugo. Now come on and say the stupid incantation since the ring is already on your hand.

“Well, go ahead and say the incantation then,” Quirin said to Hugo, voicing Varian’s exact thoughts.

“I’m sorry, sir?”

“You have the ring there on your finger, do you not? Was that not the object that fixed him last time?” Quirin nodded down to Hugo’s hand.

“Oh, right,” Hugo said sheepishly. “Let’s see, uh, what was it…oh yeah! _I call the spirit back to this land, Rejoin the body to once more stand.”_

Nothing happened.

“Wait, that can’t be right.” Hugo took off his ring and placed it in his palm. Maybe he couldn’t be wearing it for the incantation to work. “ _I call the spirit back to this land, Rejoin the body to once more stand.”_

There was no sign of movement from the unconscious body. Now Varian himself was growing confused. He tried to grab the ring from Hugo’s palm, since he’s supposed to be able to touch the object that grounds him to reality when in ghost form. To his shock, his hand passed right through it.

That wasn’t right. Before he had been able to touch it. Had the thing that mattered to him most changed? If it wasn’t Hugo’s ring anymore, then what could it be?

Suddenly, an idea struck him. Reaching over to his body, he tried to touch his own ring. Sure enough, he felt the cold metal against his ghostly hand.

So, the thing that mattered most to him had become the ring that Hugo had given him. He guessed that made sense, since the one he gave to Hugo now technically belonged to his fiancé, not himself.

Now he just had to figure out how to show him.

The blond was muttering the incantation over and over again furiously as he cradled his ring in his hand. He couldn’t figure out why this wasn’t working like it did before.

Hugo felt a big hand settle on his shoulder. He looked up behind him to see Quirin. “Look there,” Quirin pointed to Varian’s hand.

Sure enough, Varian’s ring finger was moving up and down oddly. As though the finger itself was waving, trying to get someone’s attention.

“Of course!” Hugo said, grasping the hand. As soon as he grabbed it, he could feel Varian’s presence connected to the ring. “His ‘grounding piece’ switched to his own ring! Since that one’s actually his now, and the one he gave me is now mine.”

He recited the incantation, and suddenly Varian’s body was floating up and glowing. Hugo stood back and turned to Quirin. “Close your eyes!”

A second later, there was a bright flash. Hugo and Quirin stumbled back from the force of a blast. The light faded just as quickly as it came.

Varian was standing right where the center of the flash had been. He looked at his hands, then patted his chest to check that his body was solid again. He smiled with relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“Goggles!” Hugo gave Varian a big hug. “You scared me!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“So,” Quirin stepped in. “Is this going to be a common thing now?”

“I guess so.” Varian said, sitting down on the couch. Hugo sat next to him and placed an arm around his shoulder.

“What happened out there, Hairstripe?”

“Well,” Varian looked down. “I guess I got overheated. I was waiting to take a break until I finished the row I was on, but I started feeling dizzy. Out of nowhere, poof! I was a ghost again.”

Quirin lowered himself into a chair that faced the couch. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Son, you know you’re supposed to be taking it easy now.”

“I know, Dad. But I thought I could handle it! Plus, how was I supposed to know that this relapse thing is recurring?”

“I have a theory,” Hugo started. “Maybe this is going to happen from now on any time your body gets overwhelmed. Like some sort of defense mechanism.”

“So, any time that I get too tired or something from now on, I’m going to get kicked out of my body?”

“I guess so.”

Varian was silent. He didn’t want to suffer from this condition for the rest of his life. Sure, they knew how to cure it now. He knew from now on he should never be in a ghost form for more than a few minutes at a time, but it was still a pain.

Hugo intertwined their fingers. “Hey, it’ll be okay. I know it’s not fun getting separated from your own body, but I’ll always be here to put you right back together.”

Varian smiled up at Hugo and laid his head on his fiancé’s shoulder. “Thanks, babe.”

“I’m gonna go get started on dinner.” Quirin said with a start.

Huffing a laugh, Hugo gave Varian’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll never get sick of making your father uncomfortable.”

Other than that brief relapse, the rest of the trip to Old Corona was pretty uneventful. Varian really enjoyed getting to see his fiancé and his father get along. Hugo even helped create some machines that could help Quirin out in the fields. Varian couldn’t actually believe how well they were getting along. Seeing the two most important people in the world to him actually enjoy each other’s company made his heart swell. For once, he was actually looking forward to what the future may hold.

* * *

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

* * *

Varian let out a frustrated groan. He just couldn’t get his tie to work.

He would ask his dad to help him, but he was somewhere checking up on a few final preparations.

“Varian!” A high-pitched squeal caused the alchemist to flinch from where he stood in front of mirror.

The door flew open as the Princess of Corona tackled him. Varian stumbled a bit to keep himself upright, but then returned the hug. “Hey, Rapunzel.”

Letting go with a final squeeze, Rapunzel took a step back and looked him up and down. “You look so handsome! Hugo is going to be speechless!”

“Heh,” Varian fiddled with his sleeve cuff nervously. “Hopefully not _too_ speechless. I can’t say his vows for him.”

A knock sounded from the entrance to the room. Eugene walked in and patted Varian on the back. “Lookin’ good, kid. You ready for today?”

“I think so.” He took a deep breath. “But I am pretty nervous.”

“Awww,” Rapunzel cooed. She moved to hold Eugene’s hand and rested her head on his shoulder. “You have pre-wedding jitters!”

“Yeah,” Varian said distantly. “That’s it.”

Both Rapunzel and Eugene cocked their heads in confusion. “You alright, Varian?” Eugene asked.

“I’m…fine. It’s nothing.” Varian shook his head dismissively. “I’m probably worrying about nothing.”

“Hey Sunshine,” Eugene turned to Rapunzel. “Would you give me and the kid a minute?” He sensed that Varian had something on his mind that he needed to get out. He also knew that Rapunzel, as much he loved her, could be a little overbearing and intimidating at times.

“Uh,” Rapunzel smiled hesitantly and looked to Varian. Then she looked up to her husband and saw a pleading look his face, asking her to give them a moment of privacy. “Sure! I’ll just be outside.” She left the room, closing the door behind her.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Eugene asked.

Varian went back to trying to fix his tie in the mirror. “I told you, Eugene, it’s nothing. Really.”

Eugene watch him struggle for a moment before stepping over to him. “Here, let me.” He reached for the strip of fabric.

Varian watched silently as Eugene fixed the tie. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Taking a step back, Eugene looked Varian in the eyes. “Now will you tell me what’s bothering you?”

“I…I’m just worried.”

“About what? The wedding? Married life? Hugo?”

“Not…exactly.” Varian looked to the wall. “I don’t wanna mess everything up.”

“How would you do that? You know Rapunzel has done everything within her power to make sure this whole thing goes off without a hitch. I’m not sure there’s any way you _could_ mess this up.”

Varian grimaced. “It wouldn’t be on purpose. I’m just…” His heart started beating faster. Was it growing hot in here? “I don’t—I don’t wanna mess this up for him.” His eyes watered.

“You won’t. Hugo loves you. How do you think you could mess this up?”

Placing his head in his hands, Varian struggled to get the words out. His breathing grew faster and harder. It was difficult to focus. “I can’t—I don’t—I need…”

“Varian?” Eugene’s concern grew as he grabbed the alchemist’s shoulder. “Kid?”

Varian offered no response. His breathing grew more rapid. He tried to speak but couldn’t get any sound to come out.

“I need you to breathe with me.” Eugene wasn’t entirely sure of what was going on with Varian, but he knew the kid needed some help calming down before he had another relapse. “In…Out…In…Out…”

After a few moments, Varian was able to pull his hands away from his face and look up to meet Eugene’s eyes. Taking a shaky breath, he whispered, “Can you…can you get Hugo?”

Nodding his head, Eugene responded. “Yeah, of course. I’ll be right back.” He got up and walked over to the door, opening it slightly. “Hey, Sunshine, could you go find Hugo?”

The princess gasped. “Eugene! You know Hugo isn’t supposed to see him before the wedding!”

“I know, but Varian really needs him. Please.”

Rapunzel wanted to protest again, but then she noticed the genuine concern in her husband’s eyes. “Alright, I’ll go get him.”

Turning back to Varian, who was now sitting on the ground, Eugene closed the door. He walked back to the young man and lowered himself down next to him, rubbing circles on his back. They sat together in silence for a few moments before hearing a knock.

“Come in,” Eugene said.

Hugo was immediately by Varian’s side. Eugene stood up and stepped back to allow the two some space.

“Var? What’s wrong?” Hugo asked softly, placing a comforting hand on Varian’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry…I can’t…” Varian sniffled.

“Please, tell me. Do you…do you not want to go through with the wedding?”

“No, no, it’s not that.” Varian lifted his head up from his hands and looked into Hugo’s eyes. “I just don’t wanna mess it up.”

Hugo heard the door shut, signaling Eugene’s departure, but didn’t dare tear his eyes away from Varian’s. “Why do you think you’re gonna mess it up?”

Varian let out a few shaky breaths. “It’s just…what if…what if I have another relapse?”

“Oh, Goggles,” Hugo cupped his soon-to-be-husband’s face. “ _That’s_ what you’re worried about?”

Varian nodded his head. “I’m afraid that when I get up there…I’ll be so excited…and my heart will start beating so fast that I’ll relapse again.” 

Hugo laughed. “You’re worried that you’ll be so excited to marry me that your heart will practically explode? That’s adorable. I’m flattered!”

“ _Hugo,_ ” Varian lightly shoved him. “I’m being serious. What if I collapse up there and completely ruin the wedding?”

“You won’t,” Hugo smiled softly. “And if you _do_ happen to have a relapse up there, then you certainly won’t be ruining anything.”

“How can you say that? It would be so embarrassing!”

“Let me ease your mind, Goggles. We’re having a small wedding, right?”

Varian nodded. “Right.”

“And every one of our guests is someone close to us, right?”

“Right,” Varian nodded again, not really knowing where Hugo was going with this.

“So, then everyone here knows about your condition. No one is going to judge you or be upset if you have another Possessive Relapse, least of all me.”

Varian looked to the ground. “I guess. But it’ll still ruin the whole ceremony.”

“No, it won’t.” Hugo lifted Varian’s chin. “We know how to fix you now. You’ll be back in your body before you even hit the ground.”

“But it’ll be so embarrassing. I don’t want to ruin this day for you. If I haven’t already, that is.”

“Of course you haven’t.” Cupping Varian’s face in his hands, Hugo forced his soon-to-be-husband to meet his eyes. “I am marrying you in less than two hours because _I love you._ I don’t care how ‘perfect’ the wedding is, as long as by the end of it I get to call you my husband. So, if something does happen, it won’t take away from the ceremony, and it certainly won’t disappoint me.”

Varian sniffled. “Really?”

Hugo nodded and used his thumb to wipe a tear from Varian’s cheek. “Really.” He grinned and stood. Reaching out a hand to his fiancé on the ground, he said, “Chin up, Goggles!”

With a small smile, Varian allowed himself to be pulled up. “Thanks, Hugo. For everything.”

“Of course, babe.” Hugo kissed his forehead. “Now, I should probably get going before Her Royal Highness barges in here and drags me out. She was already distraught enough about us seeing each other before the wedding.”

“Ha, true. Rapunzel’s wrath is the last thing either of us need.” Varian grabbed Hugo’s hand in his own. “Thank you, again.”

“Don’t sweat it, Hairstripe. You sure you’re alright now?”

“Yeah, I think so. Besides the pre-wedding jitters, that is.”

“You and me both.” Hugo let go of Varian’s hand and moved to the door. He stopped just before opening it and turned back around. “You look beautiful by the way. I can’t wait to marry you and _finally_ call you my husband in just a couple hours.” Blowing Varian a kiss, Hugo departed the room.

The young alchemist turned back to his mirror and looked himself up and down. Wiping away a few stray tears on his cheeks, he took a deep breath. After days and weeks and months of worrying, this was finally it. He was less than two hours away from marrying the love of his life. He grinned to himself.

Yeah, he was ready.

* * *

Rapunzel will tell anyone who asks that she only cried _once_ during Varian and Hugo’s wedding, thank you very much.

Eugene will then clarify that she only cried once because she never _stopped_ crying once the ceremony started.

It was a beautiful, small and quaint affair. Only close friends and family were invited, and the wedding took place in the palace garden. Princess Nuru and Yong had travelled all the way from their respective kingdoms and were beyond delighted to see Varian and Hugo finally tie the knot. Their endless flirting throughout their journey across the Seven Kingdoms had driven Nuru insane, and it was such a relief when they finally confessed their love to each other at the end of it all. Even Yong had muttered “Finally!” when they emerged from the Eternal Library holding hands.

Donella was sitting in the front row alongside the two young companions, and she kept her typical stoic face the entire time. When Hugo later accuses her of shedding a tear, she’ll swear that it was a single freak raindrop from the perfectly clear sky.

Once the wedding was over, there was a small reception. Everyone took their chance to congratulate the couple, or tease them about married life, in Eugene’s case.

Quirin had never seen his son so happy in all his life. Every so often, during the reception, Varian would glance down at his new ring in between greeting guests and a big smile would spread across his face. Hugo would then set a hand on his back, causing Varian to look up at him and grin even wider. It made Quirin’s heart swell to see his son filled with such joy. There were many times throughout his life where he worried that his son would never find his own happy ending. He thought Varian would be stuck alone in a lab forever, going insane from spending too much time around dangerous chemicals and only the companionship of a raccoon.

Even though Quirin had been wary of Hugo at first, over time he’d been able to get to know him and see that he really was good for his son. Varian was happier and lighter with Hugo around. Especially after the whole Possessive Relapse issue, Quirin knew that Hugo was the best thing that ever happened to his son.

And if all of that hadn’t been proof enough, walking with Varian down the aisle had sealed the deal. When Quirin saw the way Hugo was looking at his son, with eyes full of nothing but love and adoration, he knew that this man would take good care of Varian. He knew Hugo would do anything to protect and care for Varian, and that was all Quirin could ask for in his son’s husband. So, once they reached the end of the aisle, Quirin found he was actually able to let his son go.

Now, as he watched the happy couple across the room laugh at something Eugene just said, Quirin found he could finally relax. Varian was going to be more than okay with Hugo by his side. And if his son was going to be okay, then everything would be alright.

* * *

Hugo smiled as he watched his new husband across the room, who was now dancing with Rapunzel. Or, well, she was more dragging him around than dancing, but it was still adorable.

He was startled from his gazing at Varian by a weight on his foot. He glanced down to see Ruddiger looking up at him. Rolling his eyes with a smile, he picked up the raccoon and set him on his shoulder. “Hey, bud. Thanks for being the ringbearer today.”

Ruddiger chirped in response. 

“I have no clue what you just said, but uh, I thought you looked especially nice in your little bowtie Rapunzel made you.”

Ruddiger growled a little, scratching at the bowtie on his collar.

“Ha, think of how I feel in this fancy suit. It was worth it for the way Goggles looked at me, but now I can’t wait to get out of this stuffy thing.”

“If you think what you’re wearing is bad, try wearing the handmaiden dresses every day.” A voice spoke from behind Hugo.

The blond turned to see Varian’s friend Cassandra standing behind him. “No thank you. I’ll stick to stuffy suits over corsets any day.”

“Believe me, I would too.” She laughed and patted his back. “Congratulations, by the way. You and Varian make a really good couple.”

“Thanks,” Hugo replied. “I’m glad the invitation got to you. He was really worried that you’d already moved on from your last location.”

“I’m glad too. It’s been nice to be back in Corona for a while. Even though Raps won’t seem to leave me alone for two seconds. This is probably the longest I’ve gone without her wanting to show me something new that’s changed around town.”

“Yeah, I’ve learned she can be like that. She tried to micromanage this whole wedding. Not that I’m complaining, I’m not sure how Goggles and I could’ve arranged all this without her.”

Cass smiled with fondness across the room at the princess. “She’s a handful, but I wouldn’t change a thing about her.”

They both stood in companionable silence for a moment, before Cass spoke again. “So, where’s the honeymoon destination?”

“Well, Varian and I thought we’d do a little reminiscing of how we met. We’re gonna travel around the Seven Kingdoms and visit some old friends we made during the journey. Also drop off Yong and Nuru in their kingdoms along the way.”

“So you’re bringing your two young friends along on the honeymoon? That sounds…interesting.” Cass looked skeptical.

“Yeah, but their kingdoms are the first two stops anyway. Plus, this time, we’re taking the hot air balloon. No more trekking through the wilderness. We’ll only be staying at nice inns instead of sleeping with sticks digging into our backs.” Hugo pulled Ruddiger off of his shoulder and set him onto the ground. The raccoon scurried off, and Hugo grabbed his drink from the table. “We have some sightseeing planned along the way too. Since when we visited these kingdoms before we were often running for our lives and not really stopping to look around.”

“That actually sounds pretty nice. Let me know if you find anything worth checking out in the Water Kingdom. That’s where I’m heading next once I leave here.” Cass glanced back to Rapunzel, who was now beckoning her over. “Well, duty calls.” She said, turning back to Hugo. She reached out a hand. “Good luck with everything. I know this goes without saying, but take good care of Varian.”

Hugo smiled and shook her hand. “Will do. Thanks, Cassandra.”

With that, Cass walked away. Hugo took a sip of his drink before feeling a pair of arms slink around his waist. He grinned and set the cup down. “Hello, mysterious stranger.”

“Hey there.” Varian rested his head on Hugo’s back. “I’m tired.”

“You and me both, Hairstripe.” Feeling Varian lift his head and loosen his grip, Hugo turned around to face his husband. “Just about another hour or so and we can duck out of here.”

“I sure hope so. I can only mingle for so long before I begin to remember why I spend so much time in the lab, isolated from the world.”

“Aw, come on. It hasn’t been that bad.”

“You haven’t been forced to dance with Rapunzel.”

“I’ve had worse. I was given a shovel talk. By Angry and Catalina.”

Varian winced. “Alright, you win. By the way, what did Cass want?”

“Oh,” Hugo shrugged. “She just came over to offer congratulations and then ask where we’re going for the honeymoon.”

“Oh, cool.” Varian got on his tiptoes and gave Hugo a quick kiss.

Hugo grinned. “What was that for?”

“I’m just so happy. Everything finally seems to be working for us. And, I didn’t have a relapse!”

“You’re right,” Hugo placed his hands on Varian’s waist. “Though I have to say I’m a little offended. You said you’d relapse from excitement, but I guess you weren’t excited enough.” He stuck out his bottom lip in a fake pout.

Varian slapped Hugo’s arm lightly, before leaning up to kiss the frown off of his husband’s face. “Come on, let’s go dance a little more before we leave. I feel like I’ve danced with everyone but you tonight.”

“As you wish, Goggles.” Hugo allowed Varian to drag him back out to the dance floor. Whether it be across the Seven Kingdoms or to the middle of a packed room, he would follow his husband anywhere. And now he could confidently say that he would do it forever, as long as they both shall live.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks, we did it! We made it to the end! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed everything! I certainly loved writing it! 
> 
> I want to extend a huge thank you to every single person who has supported this story! Your comments have made it so fun to update, and I have greatly appreciated every kudos, bookmark, and subscription! I love you all so much!!!
> 
> P.S. I have started to write another multi-chapter Varigo fic!! It will take awhile for me to upload because I want the majority of the story to be written before I start posting chapters, but keep an eye out for it!


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